Ukraine says US-made F-16 fighter jet crashed, killing pilot
Al JazeeraAug 29
Ukraine F-16 Fighter Jet Crashes, Pilot Killed
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Above: Farewell ceremony for Ukrainian F-16 pilot Oleksiy Mest on Aug. 29, 2024, in Shepetivka, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukraine. Image copyright: Verity
The Facts
Ukraine's Army General Staff confirmed Thursday that one of the at least six F-16 fighter jets Kyiv had reportedly received from NATO allies to fight against Russia crashed on Monday during a massive Russian aerial attack.
The pilot, Colonel Alexei "Moonfish" Mes, was killed in the incident, which happened after Russia launched more than 200 missiles and drones at Ukraine. Mes reportedly destroyed three cruise missiles and one drone before the aircraft went down.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
The F-16s are no silver bullet or a magic pill. They would neither deny Russia control over the skies nor give Ukraine an upper hand on the battlefield as they will be consistently destroyed by most modern Russian combat aircraft. The crash of the fighter jet on its soil shows Ukraine is in rough shape and it's incompetent in managing Western prowess or tipping the scales.
Pro-establishment narrative
Whether the F-16 crash was caused by friendly fire, Russian fire, or human error, the loss of its strategically important F-16 jet and the death of its star pilot shouldn't result in Ukraine losing its momentum against Russia. The West must keep its trust in Ukraine and allow it to use long-range missiles to hit targets further into Russia to deter the Kremlin from reaching its battlefield goals and defeat it once and for all.
