Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

Dozens of discharged Ukrainian military pilots, from captains to generals, returned to fight in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Air Force Command of Ukrainian Armed Forces said.

One of them was 53-year-old Air Force pilot Oleksandr Oksanchenko who was unfortunately killed in battle.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine's Facebook page shared on Mar. 2 that the veteran aviator was killed in an air fight.

"He deflected the enemy aviation on himself," said the post.

"A formidable combat pilot"

The Ukrainian Colonel from the 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade was "recognised as a formidable combat pilot", said Sierra Hotel Aeronautics, an aviation interest group.

Aside from that, Oksanchenko was known for his aerial displays at events. The displays were said to have "entertained and inspired air show audiences across Europe for the past decade".

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine noted that he had accumulated over 2,000 flying hours, and had performed at airshows such as the Slovak International Air Fest, the Royal International Air Tattoo, and the Czech International Air Fest.

"Despite leaving the active service and joining the reserves in late 2018, he volunteered to remain in the Ukrainian Flanker Solo Display Team as a coach and advisor and travelled with the team during the 2019 display season which was also the last airshow season for the team," said non-profit content platform European Airshows on Facebook.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced that Oksanchenko was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.

Follow and listen to our podcast here

Top images courtesy of European Airshows/FB.