Ukraine announced Thursday that one of its U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets crashed while defending against a Russian airstrike, resulting in the death of the pilot onboard. A U.S. official confirmed to CBS News that the crash occurred on Monday.
This incident marks the first reported loss of an F-16 in Ukraine, just weeks after Kyiv began receiving the advanced aircraft. Early reports suggest that the plane was not shot down by Russian forces, CBS News has learned.
“F-16 fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were engaged in repelling a missile attack by the Russian Federation, alongside units of anti-aircraft missile troops,” the Ukrainian military stated. “During the approach to the next target, communication with one of the planes was lost, and it was later discovered that the aircraft had crashed, killing the pilot.”
Although the pilot was not initially identified, Ukraine’s air force later confirmed that one of its pilots, Oleksiy Mes, died in the crash on Monday while countering a Russian air assault.
“On August 26, while repelling a massive combined missile and air strike by Russia, Oleksiy successfully destroyed three cruise missiles and one attack drone,” Ukraine’s Western air command unit reported. “Oleksiy saved Ukrainians from deadly Russian missiles, tragically at the cost of his own life.”
The loss of the F-16 is a significant setback for Ukraine, which had been relying on a fleet of aging Soviet-era MIG-29 and Sukhoi jets. The F-16s were requested by Ukraine to bolster its defense against intense Russian aerial bombardments.
On Monday, Russia launched a wave of attack drones and missiles at Ukraine, which President Volodymyr Zelensky described as one of the “largest” assaults in Russia’s two-and-a-half-year invasion.
Earlier this month, Zelensky expressed optimism that the newly arrived F-16 fighter jets would significantly enhance Ukraine’s war effort against Russia.
The F-16, an iconic American-made fighter jet, has been a front-line combat aircraft for NATO and numerous air forces worldwide for the past 50 years. In August 2023, President Biden approved the transfer of used F-16s to Ukraine, although the U.S. will not be providing any of its own planes.
