A Ukrainian F-16 jet was destroyed in a crash following the American-made fighter’s first successful mission against Russia on Monday, according to a US official.
The fighter, one of six that arrived in Kyiv earlier this month, is not believed to have been shot down by enemy fire but rather crashed as a likely result of pilot error, the official told the Wall Street Journal.
The Ukrainian Air Force refused to confirm the crash or the status of the pilot, but a local official said earlier this week that pilot Oleksiy Mes died on Monday during a combat mission.
The F-16s were deployed that morning to help intercept the massive missile and drone barrage launched by the Kremlin, which saw more than 200 projectiles fired at half of Ukraine’s regions.
Following the attack, Lutsk Mayor Ihor Polishchuk, of northwest Ukraine, confirmed Mes’ death, noting that he was among the first Ukrainian pilots to be trained in the F-16s.