The Russian Defence Ministry on Sunday announced that its forces have shot down a US-designed F-16 fighter jet operated by Ukraine, but did not specify the location.
This is the first time that the Russian military has announced it had destroyed an F-16 since some European countries began deliveries of the fourth-generation fighter aircraft to Ukraine in summer last year. “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, 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.
BBC Ukraine 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. The first was destroyed and its pilot killed last August, but the report of the investigation into the incident was never revealed publicly. However, multiple media reports indicated that the plane was likely shot down by Ukrainian anti-aircraft defences by mistake. Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway pledged to supply Kiev with up to 80 F-16s after receiving permission to do so from then US President Joe Biden’s administration, though most of them will take years to arrive. In 2024, Ukraine received about 18 aircraft.