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Decorated Ukrainian pilot killed in action

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Decorated Ukrainian pilot killed in action
Ukraine's Air Force pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Denys Vasyliuk (C), was killed in a combat mission in mid-May 2024. (The 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade/Facebook)

Ukraine’s 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade said on May 18 that an experienced Ukrainian Air Force pilot, Denys Vasyliuk, had been killed in action.

Lieutenant Colonel Vasyliuk, the brigade’s chief of staff and a deputy commander of an aviation squadron, was killed “recently” while conducting a combat mission, the brigade said.

No further details about Vasyliuk's death were provided.

Ukraine's Air Force hasn't commented on Vasyliuk's death.

Since the beginning of Russia’s all-out war, Vasyliuk has conducted “dozens of combat missions,” the 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade said in a Facebook post.

He was a full holder of the Order of Courage, a Ukrainian order awarded for individual courage and heroism.

“Pilots do not die. They remain forever in the sky!” the brigade said.

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Alexander Khrebet

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Alexander Khrebet is a reporter with the Kyiv Independent. He covers Ukraine’s foreign policy, alleged abuse of power in the country’s military leadership, and reports on the Russian-occupied territories. Alexander is the European Press Prize 2023 winner, the #AllForJan Award 2023 winner and Ukraine's 2022 National Investigative Journalism Award finalist. His was published in the Washington Times and Atlantic Council.

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