Ukrainian pilot 'Blue Helmet' killed fighting against Russian forces
A 23-year-old pilot, Vladyslav Zalistovskyi, call sign ‘Blue Helmet,’ was killed on Jan. 5while defending Ukraine from Russian forces, the 114th Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force, which Zalistovskyi belonged to, told Ukrainian public broads Suspilne on Jan. 8.
Zalistovskyi, born in the city of Malyn, Zhytomyr Oblast, graduated from the aviation faculty of the Kharkiv Ivan Kozhedub National Air Force University in 2021. He served as a pilot of a MiG-29 fighter jet.
"Unfortunately, in our small aviation family there was a tragedy,” his comrade-in-arms, call sign Air Fighter, said on Instagram.
“We lost not just a pilot, but also a reliable comrade, friend, son, and simply a wonderful and bright person Vladyslav! He was one of those with whom I would have completed any task with confidence that he would not leave me in a difficult situation, both in military affairs and in life in general! Vladyslav died defending our sky, although he was only 23 years old. I bow my head before him and pay tribute to him as a true fighter pilot who died defending Ukraine!"
Read also: Lviv Memorial Complex for military burials to be created
“You loved your job, your life, your sky, but it played a cruel joke on you,” said Zalistovskyi's girlfriend, Yevheniia Nesterenko, on Instagram.
“You will forever remain in my heart the best boy in the world. And not only in mine. So many of your friends tell me that you are the best. You are really loved by everyone! You were only 23... But for some reason, the sky takes the best. Eternal flight to you, my angel."
Ukrainian poet and soldier, Maksym Kryvtsov, 33, call sign Dali, was also killed fighting Russian forces. Kryvtsov authored a book, Poems from the Trenches, which was recognized as one of the best books of Ukrainian poetry in 2023 by PEN Ukraine.
Read also: Zelenskyy honors fallen soldiers at Lviv cemetery, vows Ukraine will never forget their sacrifice
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
