Western media had previously reported a fighter jet had crashed, citing anonymous sources
Ukraine’s General Staff has confirmed that a Western-supplied F-16 fighter jet has been lost along with its pilot.
A handful of the US-made aircraft were delivered to Ukraine earlier this month. Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, meanwhile, confirmed on Tuesday that the jets had seen action during a massive Russian missile attack the day before.
“Contact was lost with one of the planes as it followed a target. As it turned out, the plane crashed and the pilot died,” the General Staff said in a statement on Thursday evening.
The Defense Ministry in Kiev has established a special commission to investigate the incident. A source within the Ukrainian Air Force told Voice of America that among the options currently being examined are pilot error, technical malfunction, and “friendly fire” from Ukrainian air defenses.
Earlier in the day, the Wall Street…