Ukrainian F-16 crashes, killing pilot, during Russian missile attack

A Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet crashed, killing its pilot, as it was fending off a barrage of Russian missiles, Ukraine’s military said Thursday.

During the operation, communication was lost with one of the jets and it later became apparent that “the plane crashed” and “the pilot died,” Ukraine’s general staff said in a Telegram post. A special commission was appointed to probe the cause of the accident, it said. Four Russian cruise missiles were shot down by the F-16, the military said.

The Ukrainian statement about the crash did not name the pilot who was killed. A separate statement published earlier Thursday by the Ukrainian air defense on Facebook announced the death of pilot Oleksiy Mes during an operation on Monday. The air defense statement did not specify what plane he was flying, though the details of the battle in which he died aligned closely with the military’s statement about the F-16.

“Oleksiy Mes was a strong and dedicated warrior, a top-class pilot, a leader on the ground and in the sky, a good friend, a loving son, father, husband, and a patriot of his country,” the air defense said, adding that Mes was commemorated in a ceremony Thursday and posthumously awarded the rank of colonel.

The demise of one of Ukraine’s star fighter pilots as well as one of its prized few F-16 jets is a massive blow for Ukraine as it seeks to gain momentum against Russia. Ukraine had strenuously lobbied the West for the expensive and powerful planes, and as of this summer had obtained only a small fleet of them. It had just six pilots trained to fly F-16s, including Mes.

Missy Ryan and Alex Horton contributed to this report.

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