General Staff confirms loss of F-16, causes under investigation
Photo: F-16 (Getty Images)
The F-16 fighter jets of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were engaged in repelling the Russian attack on August 26. During the approach to the next target, communication with one of the aircraft was lost, according to the General Staff.
According to the General Staff, during the aerial battle, the F-16 fighter jets demonstrated their high effectiveness, shooting down four enemy cruise missiles with onboard weaponry.
However, during the approach to the next target, contact was lost with one of the aircraft. It was later discovered that the aircraft had crashed, and the pilot was killed.
"A special commission from the Ministry of Defense has been appointed to determine the cause of the crash and is working in the area of the plane's crash," the statement said.
Background
Today, The Wall Street Journal reported that one of the F-16 fighter jets recently received by Ukraine from its allies had allegedly crashed. RBC-Ukraine contacted the Air Force for comment, but they could neither confirm nor deny this information.
Later, the Air Force reported the death of pilot Oleksii Mes. He was killed on August 26 during a massive Russian attack on Ukraine. The pilot shot down three enemy missiles and a drone. It was not specified which aircraft Mes was piloting. However, the press service of the 144th Fighter Wing of the US Air National Guard reported that Mes was trained on F-16s in the United States.
CNN later reported that the Ukrainian pilot who died in the crash of an American F-16 was Oleksii Mes, also known as Moonfish.
Massive Russian attack on August 26
On Monday, August 26, Russia launched the largest attack on Ukraine in 2.5 years. The Russian forces fired 127 missiles and 109 kamikaze drones at Ukraine.
The Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykola Oleshchuk, reported that air defense forces managed to shoot down 102 enemy missiles and 99 UAVs.
