A Su-27 aircraft of the Ukrainian Armed Forces equipped with missiles flies in the airspace of Kyiv, Ukraine. (Aleksandr Gusev/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Ukrainian Su-27 fighter pilot Lieutenant Colonel Yevhenii Ivanov died on Dec. 8 during a combat mission, Ukraine's Air Force reported.
The incident, which resulted in the death of Ivanov, the senior navigator of the 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade, occurred at noon in the eastern sector of the front line.
The Air Force did not specify what mission the pilot was carrying out when the death occurred. The circumstances of the pilot's death are being investigated.
"We express our sincere condolences to the pilot's family and friends," the Air Force said.
Several pilots have died since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including the recent death of MiG-29 pilot Major Serhii Bondar, who died in August during landing.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
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