A retired Ukrainian airforce pilot came out of his retirement to fight against the Russian invaders, and he was shot down by a Russian missile in battle.
Colonel Oleksander “Grey Wolf” Oksanchenko, was the Ukrainian Air Force’s Flanker display pilot from 2013 to 2018, was flying over the Ukrainian city of Kyiv during a battle; he was then shot down by a Russian S-400 Triumph Air Defence Missile System.
The European Airshows paid a tribute to the fallen colonel on their Facebook page:
“We have received some extremely shocking and sad news from Ukraine this morning.
Colonel Oleksandr “Grey Wolf” Oksanchenko who was the Ukrainian Air Force Flanker display pilot between 2013-2018 has lost his life on Friday night when his jet was shot down over Kyiv by Russian S-400 Triumph Air Defence Missile System.
Col. Oksanchenko was not only a very experienced pilot who won a number of awards for the best flying display at many events across Europe, but he was also a true fan of airshows. 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/advisor and travelled with the team during the 2019 display season which was also the last airshow season for the team.
He came out of retirement to defend his country from the Russian invasion and paid the highest price. Col. Oksanchenko was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine by the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Blue skies sir and thank you for all your amazing displays!”
Source: European Airshows Facebook