President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded Ukrainian pilot Oleksiy Mesya, who died in an F-16 crash, the title of Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the Gold Star. This is evidenced by Presidential Decree No. 165/2025.
Points of attention
- Ukrainian pilot Oleksiy Mes was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his contributions to Ukrainian aviation.
- Oleksiy Mes tragically died in an F-16 crash after destroying three cruise missiles and a Russian strike drone, showcasing his bravery and skill as a pilot.
- The Ministry of Defense, along with partners from the United States, are conducting a thorough investigation into the causes of the plane crash to determine what led to the tragic incident.
Legendary pilot “Moonfish” became a Hero of Ukraine
Oleksiy Mes, originally from Shepetivka in the Khmelnytskyi region, graduated from the Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv National Air Force University.
In June 2022, he, along with pilot, Hero of Ukraine Andriy Pilshchikov (call sign "Juice"), who died in 2023, visited the United States to meet with government officials and lobby for the provision of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
30-year-old Oleksiy Mes died on August 29, 2024. That day, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the loss of an F-16 fighter jet. They said that American fighters demonstrated their effectiveness by shooting down four cruise missiles on August 26.
However, during the approach to the target, contact was lost with one of the planes. It was later revealed that the plane crashed and the pilot was killed. According to the Air Force, that day, Oleksiy destroyed three cruise missiles and one strike drone.
A special commission of the Ministry of Defense is working in the area where the plane crashed, investigating the causes of the accident. Mykola Oleschuk, who was still the head of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the time, wrote that partners from the United States have also already joined the investigation into its causes.
