The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has confirmed that an F-16 fighter jet crashed while repelling a massive Russian missile and drone attack.
The corresponding message was published on the General Staff’s Facebook page on the evening of August 29. “During the approach to the next target in one of the air battles, an F-16 aircraft lost contact with another aircraft as it approached the next target,” the message reads.
“As it turned out later, the plane crashed, and the pilot was killed,” the General Staff added, noting that a special commission of the Ministry of Defense had been appointed to investigate the causes of the accident.
The incident occurred during a massive Russian missile attack on Monday, August 26. The F-16s participated in repelling one of Russia’s most massive air attacks on Ukraine.
Earlier, several American media outlets reported the F-16 crash, citing sources from both the Ukrainian and American sides. According to preliminary data cited by the WSJ, the F-16 was not shot down, and the crash was most likely caused by pilot error.
The real cause of the crash is still unknown. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has set up a special commission to investigate the crash site.
Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said that Ukraine will definitely find out the cause of the plane crash. According to him, experts are already conducting an investigation and analyzing all the circumstances in detail. The United States is also involved in the investigation, he said.
The Ukrainian media reported the death of F-16 pilot Oleksiy Mes. According to reports, he shot down three cruise missiles and one attack drone that day with an F-16. However, the connection with him vanished in an instant. It turned out that this was his last air battle.
Ukrainian pilot Oleksiy Mes was only 30 years old. He was a lieutenant colonel, deputy commander of an operational group, and was among the first to receive training on the F-16.
The funeral for the deceased F16 pilot took place on August 29 in his native Shepetivka. Only after that Ukraine’s Air Force officially announced the loss.
On August 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that the first F-16s were already in Ukraine and showed them off at a secret airport.
Prior to that, Western media reported, citing sources, that six fighters had arrived from the Netherlands, and several more would soon arrive from Denmark.
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