In Kharkiv, two streets will be named after fallen Heroes of Ukraine – pilots Maksym Ustymenko and Oleksiy Mes. This was announced by Mayor Ihor Terekhov on Telegram, as reported by UNN.
Details
Maksym Ustymenko died on June 29, 2025 while repelling a massive Russian air attack. At that time, he shot down seven aerial targets, but his aircraft was damaged. The pilot himself did not manage to eject and steered the plane away from the populated area. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy posthumously awarded him the highest title of Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the "Golden Star".
Oleksiy Mes died on August 26, 2024, also during the repulsion of an air attack by Russian occupiers. Like Ustymenko, Mes was an F-16 pilot – he was also posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.
Both were masters of their craft - top-level pilots and loyal comrades-in-arms. Both began their journey in Kharkiv: here they took their first steps in military education, studied, and formed as future officers. And that is why their names will forever remain in the history of our city
The Mayor of Kharkiv promised to announce details regarding the renaming of the streets later.
Recall
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine renamed 328 settlements whose names contained symbols of Russian imperial policy. These settlements are located in 20 regions of the country, including Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Kherson, and other regions.