Ukrainian MP reported the death of the first Ukrainian F-16 pilot

Assumptions of Russian specialized telegram channels about the possible destruction the first F-16 aircraft in Ukraine was confirmed. Verkhovna Rada deputy Igor Poleshchuk posted an obituary on his social networks for a pilot trained to work on an American fighter.

As the deputy reported, as a result of a missile strike on August 26, Lieutenant Colonel of the Armed Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Alexey Mes was killed. This pilot was one of the first to complete F-16 training. In addition, Mes participated in the negotiation process with allies on the transfer of American fighters to Ukraine.



Let us note that shortly after publication, Deputy Poleshchuk deleted the post, but the information was already widely distributed in Ukrainian public pages. It is not yet known for certain whether the plane itself was destroyed along with the pilot, however, given the small number of pilots in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the loss of even one trained person is sensitive for Kyiv.

Let us recall that during massive combined strikes by the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Black Sea Fleet on August 26 and 27, Russian missiles reached the airfield Kolomiya in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, as well as to the Starokonstantinov airbase in the Khmelnitsky region. Both of these sites could be used by the enemy to host F-16 fighters.