Ukrainian Air Force says a well-known fighter pilot who went by the call sign "Juice" has died

The Ukrainian Air Force is paying tribute to a well-known pilot who was one of three people killed in a plane crash during a combat mission on Friday.

Andriy Pilshchikov, who went by the call sign “Juice," and two other pilots died when two L-39 combat trainer aircraft collided in the air, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.

A MiG-29 pilot, Pilshchikov was part of a unit known as the “Ghost of Kyiv” that defended central and northern Ukraine at the outset of the war. He had campaigned for the supply of American-made F-16s to Ukraine, the Air Force said.