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A Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet may have been brought down by Ukraine’s own air defense in a case of friendly fire, a source in the country’s air force told Voice of America’s (VOA) Ukrainian service.
Kyiv said the F-16 crashed on Monday during a mission to repel Russian missiles, confirming the first loss of one of the U.S.-made fighter jets since their delivery to Ukraine was announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The pilot, lieutenant colonel Oleksii Mes, was killed in the crash, Ukraine’s Army General Staff said on Thursday.
Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets were used during a missile and drone barrage launched by Russia, the General Staff said, adding that the aircraft “demonstrated their high efficiency” and “four enemy cruise missiles were shot down by airborne weapons.”
“During the approach to the next target with one of the planes… the plane crashed, the pilot died,” it said.
Ukraine is considering the possibility that the F-16 crash was caused by friendly fire, the unnamed source in Ukraine’s air force said, adding that an investigation is ongoing into the incident.
“Various versions are being considered, including ‘friendly fire’ from our own air defense, a technical malfunction, and pilot error,” the source told the VOA on the condition of anonymity. “However, the exact causes will only be known after the investigation is completed.”
Newsweek has contacted Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry for comment by email.
Ukraine’s Air Command Zakhid said pilot Mes was killed “defending our country.”
“He heroically fought his last battle in the sky. On August 26, while repelling a massive Russian combined missile and drone attack, Oleksii destroyed three cruise missiles and one attack UAV. Oleksii saved Ukrainians from deadly Russian missiles. Unfortunately, at the cost of his own life,” the command said.
Zelensky had long called on his Western allies to provide his military with the advanced fighter jets to assist in the war against Russia, now in its third year.
In July, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Ukraine’s allies in NATO had started transferring the U.S.-manufactured jets to Ukraine. He said they would be “flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer to make sure that Ukraine can continue to effectively defend itself against the Russian aggression.”
F-16s were spotted earlier this month over the front line in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, according to Pavlo Filipchuk, a Kremlin-installed official, who said they were flying above the Ukrainian settlement of Kakhovka “only to sow panic.”
Zelensky had confirmed days earlier that the aircraft had arrived in Ukraine and were already being used by Kyiv’s air force.
“I am proud of all our guys who have mastered these aircraft and have already started using them for our country,” the Ukrainian president said. “F-16s are already in Ukrainian skies, and there will be more.”
Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium had pledged to send more than 60 F-16s to Ukraine this summer but Bloomberg reported on July 12, citing unnamed sources, that this year Kyiv may get far fewer of the jets than it had hoped—six this summer and up to 20 by the end of 2024.
Zelensky said on Tuesday that Ukraine had used F-16s to intercept missiles and drones launched by Russia.
Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters on Thursday that she was aware of the reports that the F-16 could have been shot down by Ukrainian air defense, but said she “can’t confirm it.”
“I don’t have that level of fidelity right now. So, in terms of if this pilot was killed and it was brought down by friendly fire, that I just can’t speak to. That would really be something for the Ukrainians to speak to,” Singh said.
She added: “The United States has not been asked to participate in any type of investigation to look into this incident.”
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