In the standard video message of the president of Ukraine, released on Saturday night, Volodymyr Zelensky paid tribute to the memory of the three pilots who were killed in a plane crash in the Zhytomyr region.

The collision of the two L-39 training aircraft occurred on Friday, but the news became known yesterday Saturday.

“My condolences to their relatives and loved ones, to everyone who knew these young people,” the Ukrainian president said.

Among the victims is a distinguished fighter pilot, Andrii Pilshikov, whose contribution to the war against the Russian invaders was praised by Ukraine’s president, who announced an investigation into the cause of the crash.

The crash is a blow to Ukraine, which is in the midst of a massive effort to train its pilots to fly F-16s, as several Western countries have pledged to deliver 61 such fighters to Kiev.

In his video message, President Zelensky also thanked Ukrainian soldiers fighting in various parts of Ukrainian territory, making special mention of the battles near the city of Bakhmut (east) and the outskirts of the village of Robotyne (south).