Bad news for US and Pakistan: In a major win for Russia led by President Vladimir Putin, the Russian Defence Ministry announced that the Russian forces have shot down a US-designed F-16 fighter jet operated by Ukraine.
Although it did not disclose the location of the incident or the weapon through which the fighter jet was shot down, reports have speculated that Russia may have used its S-400 air defense system or a long-range R-37 air-to-air missile. Here are all the details you need to know about the recent turn of events.
“An F-16 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force was shot down by air defense means,” the ministry said in its daily briefing without revealing any further details, Russian news source RT reported.
“On Saturday, the Ukrainian Air Force reported the loss of one of its F-16 fighters. An interdepartmental commission was then established to find out what caused the plane to go down”, it added.
President Vladimir Zelensky later confirmed that Ukrainian pilot Pavel Ivanov had been killed “during an F-16 combat mission” and asserted that there would be a “strong and precise” response, hinting at Russia’s role in shooting it down.
Ukrainian F-16 shot down by Russia
Moreover, BBC Ukraine also cited a Ukrainian source as saying that the F-16 had been shot down by the Russian military.
“In total, the Russians fired three missiles at the plane. It was either a guided anti-aircraft missile from a S-400 ground-based system or an R-37 air-to-air missile,” it claimed. The source also ruled out friendly fire as a reason for the loss of the jet, claiming that Ukrainian air defenses have not been active in that area. The fighter’s destruction is the second confirmed loss of an F-16 by Ukraine.
Bad news for Pakistan
The news of a Russian missile or S-400 air defence system destroying the F-16 fighter jet may raise of point of concern and alarm for Pakistan, which relies on the US made F-16 aircraft.