Ukraine’s ‘best pilot’ is killed while fighting Russian forces days after being honoured by Zelensky for his ‘courage and bravery’

• Captain Anton Lystopad was killed while fighting against Russian forces
• Lystopad was awarded the title of the best pilot of Ukraine’s air force in 2019
• His death comes days after he was honoured by President Zelenksy with award

A Ukrainian pilot has been killed in combat while fighting against Russian forces, just days after he was honoured for his bravery by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Major Anton Lystopad, who was awarded the title of the best pilot of Ukraine’s air force in 2019, died in action.

His death comes just days after Lystopad was honoured by Zelensky with the prestigious award, the Order of Courage, 3rd class, for his ‘courage, bravery and professionalism’.

Lystopad, a pilot of the 204th Sevastopol Tactical Aviation Brigade, was buried alongside his comrade, Colonel Yury Pohorily, in the village of Chukalivka, close to the city of Ivano-Frankivsk, western Ukraine, on Monday.

More than 100 relatives and Ukrainian servicemembers gathered at the funeral to pay their respects, while two fighter jets conducted a fly past in honour of Lystopad and Pohorily. 

It is unclear exactly how or where in Ukraine Lystopad died, but his death was confirmed by his former school, the Physics and Technical Lyceum of Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Council. 

Captain Anton Lystopad, who was awarded the title of the best pilot of Ukraine’s air force in 2019, died in action

His death comes just days after Lystopad was honoured by Zelensky with the prestigious award, the Order of Courage, 3rd class, for his ‘courage, bravery and professionalism’ (pictured)

It is unclear exactly how or where in Ukraine Lystopad died, but his death was confirmed by his former school, the Physics and Technical Lyceum of Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Council

The school said Lystopad had studied there from 2005 to 2008 before becoming a military pilot of the ‘highest class’ who defended Ukraine ‘from the first minutes’ of Russia’s invasion.

Lystopad also led Ukraine’s air force in a parade to mark the 30th anniversary of the country’s independence last year.

‘Millions of Ukrainians watched with admiration and pride as an aviation column of troops paraded over Khreshchatyk on the day of the 30th anniversary of Independence. The leader of this column was our Anton,’ the school said.    

It added: ‘Anton’s road at the helm of the destroyer was difficult, but it was considered. However, the young man stubbornly walked to his dream – become a pilot, fly high in the sky like a bird, and contemplate the beauty of the Earth with an eagle’s eye view.’

Lystopad was described by the school as being one of the ‘most popular graduates’.

The school said Lystopad had studied there from 2005 to 2008 before becoming a military pilot of the ‘highest class’ who defended Ukraine ‘from the first minutes’ of Russia’s invasion

Lystopad was described by the school as being one of the ‘most popular graduates’

His death comes as an ammunition depot in Russian-annexed Crimea exploded on Tuesday, injuring two people and disrupting railway traffic between the peninsula and the rest of southern Ukraine and Russia, the region’s top Russian-backed official said.

Footage on Russian state TV showed an electricity substation on fire near the town of Dzhankoi in Crimea and a series of repeating large explosions on the horizon which authorities said were caused by ammunition detonating at a military base.

Sergei Aksyonov, the top Russian official in Crimea, told state TV that he did not want to talk about what may have caused the explosions, something he said was being looked into.

He said around 2,000 local people had been evacuated from the nearest village beyond a 5 km (3.1 miles) perimeter.

Russia has used Crimea to reinforce its troops fighting in what it calls a ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine with military hardware. The damage reported to the peninsula’s rail network on Tuesday could disrupt that process.

An ammunition depot has exploded in Crimea just days after a series of explosions destroyed at least seven Russian warplanes at a nearby air force base

Residents from the village are now being evacuated as footage appeared to show a series of explosions at the ammunition depot

Russia’s RIA news agency said seven passenger trains had been delayed and that rail traffic on part of the line in northern Crimea had been suspended. Aksyonov said a bus service would be provided to allow people to continue their journey.

The incident follows a series of explosions last week at a Russian-operated air base in Crimea which Ukrainian officials hinted were part of some kind of special operation but which Moscow said was an accident. 

Zelensky accuses Russia of prosecuting an unprovoked imperial-style war of aggression. 

He has said his armed forces are determined to liberate territory seized by Russian troops since Feb. 24 and has spoken of taking back Crimea which Russia annexed in 2014 after a referendum unrecognised by the West.

Some 2,000 residents were evacuated from the area as footage appeared to show a series of explosions at the ammunition depot, with clouds of black smoke billowing into the air

Ukrainian Presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak on Tuesday published a cryptic Tweet which hinted at possible Ukrainian involvement in Tuesday’s explosions but fell short of confirming such a role.

‘(The) morning near Dzhankoi began with explosions,’ wrote Podolyak.

‘A reminder: Crimea (as a) normal country is about the Black Sea, mountains, recreation and tourism, but Crimea occupied by Russians is about warehouse explosions and high risk of death for invaders and thieves. Demilitarisation in action.’

Russia cites the demilitarisation of Ukraine as one of its main aims, something it says is necessary to preemptively ensure its own security in the face of what it has cast as uncontrolled expansion by the Western NATO military alliance. (

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