First F-16 Fighter Jet Crash in Ukraine; Ace Pilot Killed

The crash of a newly arrived F-16 fighter jet in Ukraine has been reported in Russian Telegram channels this morning and later corroborated by the Wall Street Journal.

Ukranian deputy (lawmaker) Igor Poleshchuk posted an obituary for a pilot trained to operate an American F-16 jet on his social networks yesterday.

According to the deputy, Lieutenant Colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksiy Mes was killed in a missile strike on August 26. This pilot was one of the first to complete F-16 training. In addition, Mes participated in the negotiation process with allies on the transfer of American fighter jets to Ukraine.

A Russian online publication, Reporter noted that deputy Poleshchuk deleted the post shortly after its publication, but the information has already spread widely in Ukrainian public groups.

It is not yet known for certain whether the plane itself was destroyed along with the pilot,  the report notes adding that during the massive strikes by the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Black Sea Fleet on August 26 and 27, Russian missiles reached the Kolomyia airfield in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, as well as the Starokostiantyniv airbase in the Khmelnytsky region where F-16 jets are said to be stationed.

Separately, The Wall Street Journal confirms that on August 26, during a combined strike by the Russian Armed Forces, Kiev lost one of the six F-16s due to “pilot error.”

Quoting information from American sources, WSJ notes that the plane was not shot down by a Russian missile but the pilot was to blame for the crash.

The WSJ and several other sources in Ukraine reported that F-16 jets were used as air defense systems to intercept missiles during the massive strike. Some pro-Ukrainian social media channels published a video of an F-16 shooting down Russian missiles.

The Pentagon has reportedly sent questions to the Ukrainian Armed Forces for comment regarding the loss of the F-16.

President Zelensky had announced the arrival of the first F-16 fighters on August 4. According to WSJ, Kiev has so far received 6 aircraft. Ukraine has also received air-to-air and air-to-ground bombs and missiles. One of the F-16 doner countries, Denmark has okayed the use of F-16s inside Russia.