Hero of Ukraine and tactical aviation brigade commander Oleksandr Dovhach killed in action
Ukrainian Air Force pilot Oleksandr Dovhach, commander of the 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade based in Zhytomyr Oblast, was killed in action on the eastern front on Monday, Ukraine’s Air Force Command reported.
Dovhach was killed “in conditions of significant enemy air superiority and powerful resistance from enemy air defense systems.”
The circumstances of the pilot’s death are being clarified. The command did not report which aircraft Dovhach was flying on the mission, but according to open data the 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade is armed only with Su-27 fighters.
“He carried out hundreds of combat sorties, striking enemy command posts, equipment and communications. He repeatedly provided cover for strike and bomber aviation, destroyed enemy drones and missiles. He fought for Kyiv Oblast, Kharkiv Oblast, Kherson Oblast, and Snake Island,” the Air Force said about the fallen pilot.
On September 30, 2025, Dovhach was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the Golden Star “for personal courage and heroism displayed in defense of Ukraine’s state sovereignty and territorial integrity, and selfless service to the Ukrainian people.”