LONDON, August 30. /TASS/. The loss of the F-16 jet transferred by the US to Ukraine has become a particularly significant blow for the Ukrainian Air Force due to the fact that it resulted in the death of one of the few pilots trained to fly this fighter jet, The Daily Telegraph reported.
"The news that Ukraine has lost one of its prized F-16 fighter jets so soon after their introduction on the battlefield will come as a significant blow for Kiev," the newpaper said. "The country’s leadership had hoped the Western aircraft would give its forces an edge on the battlefield <...>. However, the death of one of Ukraine’s few F-16 pilots will hurt more than the loss of an aircraft. US officials say lieutenant colonel [Alexey] Mes [who died while in the aircraft] was one of just six pilots in the country trained to fly the F-16," The Daily Telegraph said.
The newspaper also emphasized that it was Mes who played a major role in lobbying for the delivery of fighter jets to Kiev and convincing Western politicians and media of the need for such a step.
The Washington Post, in turn, called the crash of the Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet and the death of its pilot a "massive blow" to Kiev.
Earlier, a US official confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that Ukraine had lost the first of the F-16 fighter jets delivered to it. At the same time, the unnamed US official made a statement that the jet was not shot down and that the crash was due to pilot error. Later, the Ukrainian Air Force confirmed the death of Ukrainian pilot Alexey Mes, who was training to fly the F-16, according to CNN. The Ukrainian General Staff also said that the serviceman died during an air battle as a result of the crash.
Later, Verkhovna Rada lawmaker Maryana Bezuglaya said the F-16 fighter jet handed over to Kiev was mistakenly shot down by Patriot surface-to-air missiles.