President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that many Ukrainian pilots died during the defense of Mariupol.

"A very large number of people, our pilots, died. Unfortunately. Absolutely heroic people who knew that it was difficult, that it was almost impossible to fly. Fly to Azovstal, bring medicine, food, water, pick up the bodies of the wounded. All this happened," Zelensky said in an interview on the air of the national telethon regarding the third anniversary of his inauguration.

According to him, there were no air corridors to Azovstal due to the presence of Russian air defense.