The pilot who died in the Su-24 crash had dreamed of becoming a navigator since childhood
A Su-24M military aircraft crashed in the Khmelnytskyi region, killing two Ukrainian pilots.
Among the victims was 23-year-old navigator Bohdan Babenko from Bohodukhiv in the Kharkiv region, a senior lieutenant in the 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force.
According to the city council, he attended Lyceum No. 3 in Bohodukhiv, later enrolled in a military lyceum, and graduated from the Ivan Kozhedub National Air Force University in Kharkiv.
The community notes that from childhood, he dreamed of serving in the air force and defending Ukraine.
“He sincerely believed in our victory and gave his most precious gift—his young life—for Ukraine. He will forever remain 23 years old,” the statement reads.
The city council also emphasized that Babenko was the only child in his family.
Later, the All-Ukrainian Professional Pilots’ Union reported that the second casualty was Major Bohdan Zagorulko.
He was a test pilot for the state-owned enterprise “Antonov” and participated in demonstration flights on a modernized An-32RE, performing complex aerobatic maneuvers.
After the outbreak of full-scale war, according to the union, the pilot was mobilized into the Ukrainian Air Force and trained to fly the Su-24M for combat missions.
The circumstances of the plane crash have not yet been officially detailed. It is known that both crew members were killed in the crash.
This was reported by the Bohodukhiv City Council.
On the evening of June 16, a Su-24M frontline bomber belonging to the Ukrainian Air Force crashed in the Khmelnytskyi region. Both crew members were killed while carrying out a combat mission. The circumstances of the tragedy are currently being investigated.
In the Shepetivka district, an investigation is underway into the June 17 crash of a Su-24M military aircraft, which killed two pilots. Experts have begun analyzing data from the flight recorder to determine the causes of the crash.
