- When Russia first attacked Ukraine, older pilots volunteered to fly to protect younger ones, per the Post.
- One pilot said there was an understanding that if a job is "really, really dangerous" older pilots fly.
Older Ukrainian pilot volunteered to fight Russia when it invaded despite knowing the mission would likely kill them as they wanted to protect younger pilots, The Washington Post reported.
The Post's report, based on interviews with Ukrainian and Western officials, said that older pilots stationed at the Vasylkiv Air Base near Kyiv volunteered to fly on February 24, the day Russia invaded, as they sought to defend their base.
A Ukrainian fighter pilot who uses the call sign "Moonfish" told The Post: "I wouldn't call this tradition, but it was a rule that if there was a really, really dangerous bad mission, the older guys jump in the jets."
"The older guys took responsibility, like, 'Hey, I have grown kids.'"
Of the older pilots reported to have volunteered to fight near Kyiv, it is unclear how many, if any, died. It is also unclear what age they were.
The Vasylkiv Air Base was an early target of Russia, as it was close to Kyiv. Ukraine said the base was destroyed by Russia in March — more than a month Russia started its attack and two weeks before Russia retreated from Kyiv.
Western nations and Russia itself initially expected Russia to have a swift victory in Kyiv — which would likely see the rest of Ukraine fall quickly after. Russia was also expected to quickly destroy Ukraine's much smaller air force and control Ukraine's skies.
But unexpected resistance from Ukraine prevented that from happening. According to The Post, the Ukrainian air force's response included moving its jets and flying some of them so Russia would only hit empty targets.
Lt. Gen. Anatoliy Kryvonozhko, head of Ukraine's Central Air Command, told The Post that early in the invasion Ukrainian pilots at various air bases often had to take off from runways that had been shortened because they had been bombed and then quickly repaired, and that the pilots often had to skip any pre-flight checks.
In April, Russia abandoned its efforts to invade Kyiv and focused its efforts on conquering eastern Ukraine instead.