'Lord, anything but Mes'. In memory of Moonfish, fallen F-16 pilot
"I was very lucky to be friends with Andriy. It is hard to remember this day, a year ago we all lost a lot. I hope he is looking at us and is proud of what we are doing. I hope we are not letting him down. I still miss having him around to talk to and get advice. May he rest in peace. Our sincere condolences."
Oleksiy Mes wrote this message to the mother of his friend, pilot Dzhus, Lilia Averyanova, on the anniversary of his death on August 25. Who knew that this message would be his last. And the next day, when he would have to repel Russia's most massive air attack, would be his own day of death.
On August 26, Ukraine lost one of its best pilots, and with him the first F-16.
30-year-old Oleksiy Mes, call sign Moonfish, along with his pilot-in-command, Andriy Pilshchykov, did everything and more to make Ukraine's dream of an F-16 a reality.
The plane crash occurred just three weeks after Ukraine demonstrated its first Western fighter jets. The cause is currently under investigation.
Discover how Oleksiy Mes championed the F-16, who viewed him as the leader of Ukrainian aviation, and how his star dimmed at its peak in the hromadske article.
Ruthless fate
Lilia Averyanova is at Askold's grave today to visit her son. Her son Andriy is buried here. The loss of Juice a year ago also shook the whole country.
Yesterday, she was in Shepetivka, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, where his best friend, Lyosha, who died a year and a day after her son, was buried in his hometown.
"I thought I had no more tears. But it turned out otherwise..."
This is something that should not have happened. We were just letting things slide. It was some kind of terrible fate that such a person was snatched from our hands.Lilia Averyanova, mother of the deceased pilot Andriy (Juice) Pilshchykov
Lilia was one of those who learned about Oleksiy's death almost immediately. But she had to keep silent. No one could digest it and find the words to present it. In particular, to society. The pilot's death was officially confirmed only on the third day.
"It was very hard for us to keep silent and walk around with this. It was impossible to believe it. It was impossible to find words.
I know that the Air Force was also thinking about how to present this to the public. Because it was impossible to just kill the whole of Ukraine with this news."
‘When I was informed, I thought: "Oh, God, anything but Mes."Lilia Averyanova, mother of the deceased pilot Andriy (Juice) Pilshchykov
According to military tradition, two MiG-29 fighters flew by to say goodbye to the pilot.
Oleksiy Mes is survived by his wife and 3-year-old daughter, sister, two brothers, and parents. His father is also a serviceman in the Western Air Command. The family is not ready to talk yet. They cannot recover from the loss. They asked to give them time.
Juice is emotional, Moonfish is all about himself
Andriy was a witness at Lyosha's wedding. Their friendship began in 2011, when the 17-year-olds entered the flight faculty of the Kharkiv-based Ivan Kozhedub National University of the Air Force. "They often visited Andriy's home," his mother recalls. Because he was almost the only one who was from around there. Their apartment was right across the street from the universityн
Andriy was sociable and emotional, while Oleksiy was unassuming, reliable, serious, and responsible. People would call him a “pillar of strength”.
"While they were studying, the difference between them was gradually becoming apparent, and we could see who was more talented at what. It was clear that Oleksiy was a very thoughtful person. An analyst, he works quietly, all in himself, very focused. Maybe not as emotional as Andriy. But he was gaining momentum so unnoticeably, though powerfully," recalls Lilia Averyanova.
He was the eldest in the family. He helped the younger ones to get on their feet, as the saying goes. He had a large family, grew up in the countryside, and helped his grandfather with beekeeping. In general, he is such a reliable support. The salt of the earth...Lilia Averyanova, mother of the deceased pilot Andriy (Juice) Pilshchykov
In their 4th year, the guys went to Norway, to the Royal Air Force Academy. They were selected, in particular, for their knowledge of English. It was a remarkable trip for them.
"In fact, they represented Ukraine there. They were assigned more communication missions and various trips. It was already clear that they were up to it."
Then the pilots served in different brigades. Mes performed military service under a contract.
The faces of the fight for the F-16
After the full-scale invasion, Moonfish and Juice started persuading the West to give Ukraine American fighter jets. One could say that they became the faces of the Ukrainian struggle for F-16s. However, every time they appeared on camera, they hid their faces for security reasons. They traveled to the United States, met with congressmen, and spoke on broadcasts.
"The Russians have a clear technical advantage in the number of fighters. We believe that the provision of American aircraft will allow us to at least match them, or even surpass them," Oleksiy Mes said in an interview with CNN in June 2022.
Prior to taking up the F-16, Mes was the commander of a squadron of Ukrainian MiG-29 fighters. However, in September 2023, it was reported that Moonfish was undergoing F-16 training in Denmark.
"I would compare our current aircraft to F-16s – like switching from a push-button phone to a new iPhone," Oleksiy explained the details of the training during the telethon.
The plane crash: "no one hid anything and is not hiding anything"
August 26, 2024. The day when Western fighter jets were already protecting Ukrainian skies, helping to repel the most massive air attack: Russia used 127 missiles and 109 attack drones. They managed to shoot down 102 missiles and 99 Shaheds. According to the Air Force, Oleksiy Mes accounted for three cruise missiles and one UAV in his last flight.
"During the approach to the next target, we lost contact with one of the aircraft. As it turned out later, the plane crashed, and the pilot was killed. To find out the causes of the accident, a special commission of the Ministry of Defense has been appointed to work in the area where the plane crashed," the General Staff said in a statement on August 29.
An investigation into the circumstances of the tragedy is currently underway. Western media reports suggest both pilot error and possible "friendly fire" from Ukrainian air defense. However, the Pentagon officially stated that they could not confirm or comment on either version.
The only person to claim that the F-16 was shot down by Ukraine's own air defense system was Ukrainian MP Mariana Bezuhla. She also accused the Air Force of silence, which caused a scandal surrounding the crash.
No one was hiding anything and is not hiding anything! The entire top management immediately received a report on the crash. Our partners from the United States also received a preliminary report and have already joined the investigation.Mykola Oleschuk, commander of the Air Force
"Information about such incidents cannot be immediately released to the public and cannot be detailed for the media. And you have once again become the main newsmaker of enemy propaganda and are breaking all records on Russian television! The whole of Russia applauds you!" Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk responded emotionally to such accusations.
However, in a few hours, amid this story, he would lose his position by presidential decree.
At the same time, aviation expert Bohdan Dolintse agrees with the military command's assessment: "Such actions are definitely incorrect. The dissemination of any information, both reliable and unreliable, can have a significant negative impact on the investigation itself, on the objectivity and independence of the work of the experts who are members of the commission."
The loss of an experienced pilot is always very difficult, Dolintse states. You can replace an aircraft, but it's harder to replace pilots.
"These are years of training and preparation, millions of dollars. If we talk, for example, about the basic training of an F-16 pilot in the United States, its average cost is $5.5 million. We can imagine how expensive, time-consuming, and complicated it is," the expert notes. He adds that the demand for pilots will remain.
"Our future has been grounded"
Until August 26, Lilia Averyanova was calm. She even felt elated that she was sitting in the cockpit of the F-16 her son dreamed of flying. "We can see you did it," she told her son in her mind.
She was also calm because Oleksiy was in the sky. And she knew that her son's case was in good hands.
Lyosha had a great mission and a prominent role. We all saw him as our general. He was clearly and calmly going about it. To be the commander of the new Ukrainian aviation. He, like no one else, was born for this. He had to be there!Lilia Averyanova, mother of the deceased pilot Andriy (Juice) Pilshchykov
"It's just so sad and scary that old generals are burying young 30-year-old colonels. It's as if our future has been grounded. It's a terrible fate that takes them away. Just when they are still very much needed to get everything back on its feet.
Andriukha kept going and going, reached some kind of finish line—and fell. The same with Lyosha. He carried the burden for a whole year. Carried it for Andriukha and for himself. He brought those F-16s to Ukraine—and also fell. Now this burden must fall fully on someone next."
Lilia calls the death of Oleksiy Mes an irreplaceable loss. But she adds that Ukraine has successors to Juice and Moonfish.
"I am only happy that we have ‘cloned’ Andriukha – we have sent others to study so that they can become like him. I know that the second dozen guys have already gone abroad to study. And the main thing is that they already see themselves there. The most important thing is that they are already committed to this task.
The guys are there, and now God give them strength too. A new team has been formed around them, and there are new people with experience who will not let it all go to waste."
The guys need to keep flying. We need to analyze everything as much as possible, adjust everything, and continue. We have no time to shed tears. We do not even have the opportunity to wallow in this grief. The tears were left yesterday, and today all the guys are already in their places and have to continue fighting.Lilia Averyanova, mother of the deceased pilot Andrii (Jus) Pilshikov