Ukrainian photographer Konstantin Liberov told how excited pilot Pavlo Ivanov, who died on April 12 while performing a combat mission, was about to begin training to fly F-16 fighters.
This was reported by "Apostrophe", referring to the photographer's post on Instagram.
The photojournalist expressed his sorrow and gratitude for protecting Ukrainians at the cost of his own life.
"Sleep peacefully, friend. Thank you for your protection. Thank you for the sky. The most painful thing is that I remember how happy you were when you found out that you were going to study on the F-16. Everyone was happy. All this is very, very painful. Today, an F-16 pilot died in battle. Pavlo Ivanov, he was only 26 years old," the post says.
He published photos of Pavel Ivanov.
As reported by the Air Force, all circumstances of the tragedy are being established by an interdepartmental commission, which has already begun its work.
They said that Ukrainian pilots work at the maximum of human and technical capabilities, risking their lives while performing combat missions, Pavlo was one of them.
The Air Force Command expressed its deepest condolences to Pavlo's family.
As Apostrophe reported, on April 12, while performing a combat mission on an F-16 fighter jet, Pavlo Ivanov died.