Ukraine investigates incident that killed 3 pilots while Russia attacks with cruise missiles

By SUSIE BLANN
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian authorities have launched an investigation after a midair collision between two warplanes in the west of the country killed three pilots. According to the air force’s Telegram page, two L-39 training military aircraft collided on Friday during a combat mission over Ukraine’s western Zhytomyr region. The dead included Andriy Pilshchykov, a well-known pilot with the nickname “Juice” who was an outspoken advocate for Ukraine getting F-16 fighter jets. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his nightly address on Saturday paid tribute to him. Russian forces, in the meantime, targeted central and northern regions of Ukraine with cruise missiles overnight. Ukraine’s air force reported successfully intercepting four of them.