Captain Pavlo Ivanov, a 26-year-old Ukrainian F-16 pilot, was killed on 12 April while performing a combat mission, the Ukrainian Air Force announced. An interagency commission has begun investigating the circumstances, surrounding the tragedy.

The Air Force said in their statement:

“We express our deepest condolences to Pavlo’s family. He died in battle, defending his homeland from occupiers.” 

The military noted that F-16 pilots perform combat missions almost daily across various fronts under incredibly challenging conditions, providing fighter cover for aviation strike groups and attacking enemy targets.

“Ukrainian pilots work at the maximum of human and technical capabilities, risking their lives each time they perform combat missions. Pavlo was one of them,” the Air Force statement readі.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his condolences on X, adding, “We are establishing all the circumstances.”

The President emphasized the continued role of Ukrainian aviation in the country’s defense:

“Ukrainian F-16s, Mirages, and MiGs, all our combat aviation heroically carry out missions, defending our state and supporting ground operations. The Air Force is also engaged in defending Ukraine from Russian missiles and drones.”