1993–2023
Andrii Pilshchykov
Fighter pilot, “Juice”
A MiG-29 pilot of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade who returned to his brigade after the full-scale invasion began and defended the sky over Kyiv. He became one of the most prominent voices urging the West to give Ukraine F-16 fighters. Killed in 2023; Hero of Ukraine (posthumously).
Key accomplishments
- MiG-29 fighter pilot in the Ukrainian Air Force’s 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade
- Flew combat missions from March 2022, including over Kyiv (101 sorties by August 2023)
- In 2022 traveled to Washington with a delegation to persuade US senators to give Ukraine F-16s
- Hero of Ukraine (posthumously, 2024)
Who he was
Andrii Pilshchykov was born in 1993 in Kharkiv. He dreamed of flying from childhood; as a teenager he photographed aircraft and helped found the plane-spotting movement in his home city. To get into the Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv National University of the Air Force he first had to have his eyesight corrected. After graduating he flew MiG-29 fighters with the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, based near Kyiv.
His story
Before the full-scale war Pilshchykov took part in international exercises, including Clear Sky 2018 in Ukraine, where American colleagues gave him the call sign “Juice.” He had left the service in 2021, but when the invasion began in 2022 he returned to his brigade and soon began flying combat missions, including over Kyiv. The legend of the “Ghost of Kyiv” stands for this brigade’s pilots, and Andrii himself stressed that the credit belonged to the whole unit.
Pilshchykov became one of the best-known public voices of Ukraine’s pilots. He gave interviews to international media explaining why Ukraine needed modern Western fighters. In 2022 he and another pilot, “Moonfish,” visited Washington and met US senators to persuade them to give Ukraine F-16s. According to Radio Svoboda, he also spent his own savings on equipment for fellow servicemen.
On 25 August 2023, in the Zhytomyr region, according to the Air Force, two L-39 training and combat aircraft collided in the air while carrying out a combat mission. Three pilots were killed: Andrii Pilshchykov, Viacheslav Minka and Serhii Prokazin. Andrii was posthumously promoted to major, and on 30 September 2024 he was made a Hero of Ukraine.
Why it matters today
The first F-16s arrived in Ukraine in the summer of 2024, and Pilshchykov was among those who pushed hard for that decision. His story shows that defending a country is not only about combat sorties, but also about speaking to the world honestly and persuasively.
