On Air Force Day, Zelensky visits air base to talk with pilots, see weapons
That’s according to the president’s press service, Ukrinform reports.
The head of state heard a report on the capabilities and performance of Patriot and IRIS-T systems Ukraine had received from its partners.
Zelensky was also shown a Su-25 attack aircraft, a Su-24M bomber, Su-27, and MiG-29 fighter jets along with the missiles they carry. According to Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, these warplanes have been modernized to fire weapons provided by partners, including ZUNI air-to-surface missiles, Storm Shadow missiles, and AGM HARM anti-radiation missiles.
The president was also shown a simulator provided to Ukraine by the Czech Republic to train pilots to operate F-16 aircraft. Volodymyr Zelensky tested the system, locking and engaging one of the virtual targets, a Tu-95 strategic bomber
During the meeting with the head of state, the Air Force servicemen presented him with a pilot's helmet as a symbol of faith that Ukraine will soon receive F-16 fighter jets from international partners to help the nation defeat Russian invaders and liberate all Ukrainian lands.
"On behalf of the aircrew of the Air Force of Ukraine, let me present you with a symbol of invincibility and future fight for our beloved Ukraine. As President, you are defending our country together with the Armed Forces. A knight now has a shield – the air defense. We would like to present you with a helmet because a knight must have a helmet. To be complete, a knight needs a sword – an aircraft to defeat the enemy in the air and on the ground," said one of the Air Force servicemen, adding that this helmet bears signatures of the Air Force servicemen who received the title of Hero of Ukraine and are full holders of the Order of Courage and the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi.
The president highly appreciated the gift, noting that he would “keep working to ensure that Ukraine receives F-16 jets.”
In addition, Volodymyr Zelensky, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, and Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk took part in the ceremony to unveil the "Fighters of Evil" stamp and envelope issued by the Ukrposhta national postal operator on the occasion of Air Force Day.
"Stamps are prophetic. When we issue something, it is bound to happen. That is why today, in honor of the Air Force, hoping that we will soon have F-16s, we issued such a stamp. And now we are going to have a ceremony for a special postmark on our Air Force Day," Ukrposhta CEO Ihor Smilyanskyi said.
The stamp depicts the Ukrainian Army destroying the symbol of the "evil empire" by grinding it on an "annihilation" grater. The knight wearing a trident helmet on the envelope represents the nobility, strength, and honor of the Ukrainian Army defending its homeland.
Volodymyr Zelensky, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Oleksii Reznikov, and Mykola Oleshchuk left their signatures on each of the four copies of the "Fighters of Evil" stamp set.
