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An American soldier was killed Tuesday in the crash of a Ukrainian air force fighter in Ukraine. A pilot of the Ukrainian Air Force was also killed during what the Ukrainian Defense Ministry called "a flight of training and combat".
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense confirmed in a statement that a SU-27 fighter jet crashed on Tuesday afternoon "in the Ulanov region, between the Berdychiv and Khmilnyk settlements" .
Genya Savilov / AFP / Getty Images
According to an English translation of the statement, "the air force Su-27UB aircraft of the Ukrainian Armed Forces crashed during training and combat flight".
Gleb Garanich / Reuters
"We regret to announce that, according to information from the search and rescue team, the bodies of two pilots have been found," the statement said.
The US Air Force in Europe (USAFE) confirmed that a member of the US military service was aboard the SU-27 Ukrainian Air Force which crashed.
"We have seen reports of a US victim and we can confirm that a member of the US service was involved in this incident," said a spokeswoman for USAFE. "The investigation is ongoing and we will continue to provide more information as they become available."
US Air Force pilots are currently in Ukraine to participate in a massive multinational air exercise called "Clear Sky", involving nearly 1,000 NATO personnel from all over the world.
