3 Ukrainian pilots died in a disastrous mid-flight collision days after Western allies announced a new training initiative

• Three Ukrainian pilots were killed Friday after a midair collision during a training flight.
• Among the dead was a commander with the callsign Juice, who'd urged the US to provide F-16 jets.

Three Ukrainian pilots died Friday after a midair collision occurred during a training flight.

Eyewitnesses told Radio Free Europe they saw the two L-39 planes collide during their flight after flying "closer and closer to one another" during the training exercise. The crash sent debris crashing down near the village of Sinhury.

"Yesterday, a disaster occurred in the sky over Zhytomyr region," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement released Saturday, confirming the pilots' deaths. "Among them was Andriy Pilshchykov, call sign Juice. He was a Ukrainian officer, one of those who helped our country a lot. A lot! My condolences to the family and friends, to everyone who knew the guys."

Zelenskyy added: "The investigation into what happened is ongoing. It's too early to talk about the details. Of course, all the circumstances will be clarified. Of course, Ukraine will never forget anyone who defended Ukraine's free sky. May they always be remembered!"

In an interview last year with CNN, in which he lamented Russia's air superiority, Juice revealed his friends branded him with the nickname during a trip to the US because he would continually ask for juice during their nights out since he doesn't drink alcohol.

When Anderson Cooper asked how it felt for Juice to join the war effort, he replied: "It's just my job. I was trained for this. I was ready for this war."

The MiG-29 pilot returned to CNN in June to say that the summer counteroffensive would be "much more effective" and "safer for our guys on the ground" if the West supplied Ukraine with F-16s because the American-made fighter jets would be better able to compete with Russia's superior air power.

Representatives for Ukraine's Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

The catastrophe comes just days after the US announced plans to provide jet pilot training for Ukrainians flying F-16s that Denmark and the Netherlands have supplied from their fleets. The Biden administration's agreement to offer pilot training on American soil, a reversal from comments made earlier this year, follows months of mounting international pressure and pleas from Ukrainian officials that F-16s would be a critical factor in defending against Russia's air force.

The training, which will be conducted at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, Arizona, will begin in October.