2002 Disaster at an airshow in Lviv

15 years ago, on July 27, 2002, the largest disaster in the history of world air shows occurred in Lviv. When performing aerobatics, the Su-27UB fighter fell into a crowd of spectators. 77 people died (including 28 children). Another 543 people were injured. Pilots Vladimir Toponar and Yuri Yegorov ejected.

President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma laid all the blame for the tragedy on the military and removed Colonel-General Viktor Strelnikov from the post of Air Force Commander-in-Chief. He and three other soldiers were arrested. The investigation concluded that the main cause of the tragedy was "the deviation of the crew from the flight mission and the error in piloting the Su-27."

In 2005, Vladimir Toponar was sentenced to 14 years in prison, Yuri Yegorov to 8 years, and three more servicemen to prison terms ranging from 4 to 6 years. Strelnikov and three other generals were acquitted.