24-year-old Ukrainian pilot killed in action
Ivan Bolotov, a 24-year-old Ukrainian pilot and captain of the 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade, was killed during a combat mission, the brigade said on Feb. 3.
"He was only 24, but he was a competent and experienced warrior who mercilessly beat the (Russian forces) on all their approaches and front lines," the statement read.
Captain Bolotov has carried out Air Force flight missions since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, according to the brigade.
According to the media reports, he had a wife and a five-month-old son.
Bolotov is one of several young Ukrainian pilots to be confirmed killed in action. In August 2024, 27-year-old pilot Oleksandr Myhulia was killed "while performing a combat mission to protect Ukraine's territory."
Myhulia was an experienced pilot, having served in the Air Force since 2014.
He was the commander of an aviation unit of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade and had made over 160 combat flights since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Another fighter pilot from the 299th Tactical Aviation Brigade was confirmed as killed in combat in December 2024.
The "young Ukrainian pilot" did not return from a combat mission on one of the hottest parts of the front lines, the Air Force announced on Dec. 14.
