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

LASK, POLAND - OCTOBER 12: An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the Polish Air Force takes part in a NATO air Shielding exercise at the Lask Air Base on October 12, 2022, in Lask, Poland. NATO's Allied Air Command, the Polish Air Force and the United States Air Force demonstrate the modern aircraft capabilities of Polish F-16s and the U.S. F-22s. As the Russian Invasion of Ukraine continues, NATO member Poland has been investing in new military equipment and various NATO allies' troops are now stationed in the country. (Photo by Omar Marques/Getty Images) (Omar Marques)
By Bryan Pietsch Washington Post

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.

Communication was lost with one of the F-16 jets involved in the operation, Ukraine’s general staff said in a Telegram post, which did not specify when the incident occurred. “As it turned out later, the plane crashed,” the military said, and “the pilot died.”

A special commission was appointed to investigate the cause of the accident, it said. Four Russian cruise missiles were shot down by the F-16s during the mission, 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. Mes was one of the six Ukrainian pilots trained to fly F-16s.

“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 number of them.

The handful of F-16s in Ukraine’s possession arrived there last month after being transferred from NATO allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on social media this month that the jets would help bring “victory” and “peace” to Ukraine. Now that Ukraine had the jets, he said, “We’ve got it covered.”

F-16s are a product of an “unusual agreement” between the United States and four of its NATO allies: Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway, according to the U.S. Air Force. The latter four allies have agreed to give Ukraine 80 of the jets over the coming years. Ukraine wasn’t expected to receive more than about 20 this year, The Washington Post has reported.

The United States has not provided any of the planes directly to Ukraine nor has it pledged to do so, but it did approve the transfer by the NATO allies after long blocking it. The U.S. Air Force says the planes cost between $14 million and $18 million, depending on the exact model.

The cause for the crash was not immediately clear.

Mes, whose call sign was “Moonfish,” was one of the public faces of Ukraine’s appeal for the jets. Along with another pilot, “Juice,” Mes had traveled to Washington to make Ukraine’s case for the planes that Kyiv has said would be a game-changing resource for them in their fight to beat back Moscow’s invasion.

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Missy Ryan and Alex Horton contributed to this report.