Ukraine’s Air Force suffered a major operational setback on Friday morning when it lost an F-16 fighter aircraft while on a mission to intercept a Russian air attack. This came after an emergency aboard forced the pilot to eject and leave the aircraft behind. Luckily, the pilot survived and is in stable health.
In a statement posted to Telegram, the Ukrainian Air Force announced, “Preliminary data. An atypical situation developed on board. The pilot steered the plane out of the settlement and ejected successfully.” Authorities affirmed that the pilot was recovered and is “feeling fine,” as reported by Reuters. The Air Force clarified that preliminary estimates do not indicate Russian fire as the origin and announced that a commission has started looking into the incident thoroughly.
Lost Contact In Active Combat
The Ukrainian news site The Kyiv Independent provided further information, stating the Air Force “lost contact” with the F-16 at about 3:30 a.m. local time while on an ongoing mission to deflect a Russian aerial attack on May 16. The pilot, who was firing at enemy targets at the moment, allegedly shot down three Russian aerial units and was firing on a fourth with the aircraft’s cannon when the emergency took place.
Despite the turmoil, the pilot was able to guide the jet away from inhabited areas before ejecting. Rescue personnel later recovered him intact. While the status of the F-16 is yet unknown, the Air Force has not provided information on the crash location or damage.
Mounting Losses and High Stakes
This new incident is another loss for Ukraine’s small inventory of sophisticated Western warplanes. In 2024, Ukraine took delivery of its first U.S.-produced F-16s from Denmark and the Netherlands to bolster its defenses against constant Russian missile and drone raids. But already the war has killed F-16 pilots Oleksii Mes in August 2024 and Pavlo Ivanov in April 2025.
As tensions with Russia remain on the rise, every plane and skilled pilot is an essential commodity. This event highlights the difficulty of Ukraine, despite having up-to-date weapons, to achieve air dominance amid extremely intense battles.
