Two Russkie Vitiazi - ( The Russian Knights ) - Su-27 Flankers collided on Sunday August 16th at 1-00 PM during a practice display over Zhukovskii airfield. Three pilots ejected. It is reported today in Russia, that many people on the ground received burns from one of the crashed Flanker. Precise causes of the collision are unknown.

I am very sad to report that Col. Igor Valentinovich Tkachenko, leader of the Russkie Vitiazi was killed in that accident. He was a respected and very experienced leader. We met him and his team in Finland in June 2008. He was leading the fascinating Russian Knights performance at Midnight Sun Airshow. I express deep condolences to his family. The two other officers hit in the crash were Col s . Melnik and Kurilenko : unfortunately they were reported as seriously injured and evacuated with ambulances. We wish them a safe recovery as well as to all people slightly or baddly injured during the event.

MAKS 2009 will open tomorrow at Zhukovskii. The Russian Air Force headquarters have declared today that all the air force display acts will remain the same as scheduled excepting for the Russian Knights that are fully cancelled from the aerosalon. So it means that the Swifts - Strizhi - flying six MiG-29s - who were under Col. Igor Valentinovich Tkachenko command in the 237th Air Regiment - are still scheduled to perform.