Ukraine admits losing 3 Western-made F-16 fighters
On the morning of May 16, the Ukrainian Air Force reported the loss of an F-16 fighter jet due to an on-board emergency while on a night mission to repel an airstrike.
According to open data sources, Ukraine has lost three Western-made F-16 fighter jets since they were transferred to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia's TASS news agency reported.
Accordingly, on the morning of May 16, the Ukrainian Air Force announced the loss of an F-16 fighter jet due to an emergency on board while the aircraft was on a night mission to repel an air attack. The Ukrainian military did not specify the location of the incident or the nature of the emergency.
On April 12, the Ukrainian Air Force reported the death of an F-16 pilot without providing any details. On April 13, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the F-16 fighter jet was shot down by Russian air defense systems.
The Ukrainian General Staff reported the loss of the first F-16 fighter jet at the end of August last year, without providing details of the incident. According to Ukrainian Air Force data, the fighter crashed.
Maryana Bezuglaya, a member of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) and a frequent critic of the Ukrainian Military Command, asserted that the F-16 was mistakenly shot down by a Patriot anti-aircraft missile.
Subsequently, Ukrainian Air Force Commander Nikolay Oleshchuk was dismissed.
The exact number of F-16s delivered to Ukraine remains a secret. However, estimates mentioned by representatives of the Kiev government and Western countries suggest that there cannot be more than 20 aircraft at present.
