One of the most capable Ukrainian pilots died on Monday in the crash of a Western F-16 fighter jet delivered just weeks ago, the American TV channel CNN reported, citing a military source from Kiev.
Ukrainian forces do not believe it was pilot error. Such a version was previously circulated by other publications. However, Kiev confirms for the first time that it has lost an F-16 fighter jet.
The fallen hero pilot is said to be Oleksii Mes. He lost his life defending Ukraine from Russia's most massive missile attack since the first day of the invasion. Hundreds of missiles and drones were fired at Ukraine's energy infrastructure across the country. The pilot shot down 3 cruise missiles on August 26, oboz.ua reported.
The disaster is being investigated and international experts will be invited to participate in the investigation, the source from Kiev added. The death of the pilot is a heavy blow for Ukraine. The first F-16s arrived in the country very soon. Oleksiy Mes was one of the few Ukrainian pilots trained to fly these fighter jets.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that the Ukrainian Air Force used F-16s to destroy missiles and drones fired by Russia on Monday. However, Zelensky did not reveal that one of the fighters had crashed.