In Kharkiv, two streets are set to be renamed to honor the memory of fallen pilots Oleksii Mesi and Maksym Ustyimenko.
This announcement was made by the mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, on his Telegram channel.
"Both heroes began their journeys in Kharkiv, where they received military education and became officers. Their names will forever be remembered in our city's history", – stated the mayor.
Oleksii Mesi was killed on August 26, 2024, while defending Ukraine from a Russian missile strike, destroying three cruise missiles and one drone.
"Oleksii saved many lives at the cost of his own", – added the Air Command "West".
On the night of June 29, 2025, during a massive Russian attack on Ukraine, F-16 pilot Maksym Ustyimenko was killed, leaving behind a 4-year-old son.
"He engaged all onboard weapons, shooting down seven aerial targets. During the last engagement, his aircraft was damaged, causing him to lose altitude. Maksym did everything possible to divert the plane from populated areas, but he couldn’t eject in time", – reported the Air Forces.
Maksym trained alongside fallen pilot Andrii Piliсhkov, who died in summer 2023.
