Ukraine faces questions over whether F-16 was downed by friendly fire

The crash is still under investigation, but The Telegraph reported on Saturday that initial findings suggest the aircraft was brought down by a battery of US-supplied Patriot missiles.

The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the crash, also quoted unnamed US officials as saying that preliminary investigations indicated the aircraft was not destroyed by enemy fire.

The New York Times published a similar account on Friday, citing an unnamed Western official who was briefed on the investigation.

There were “indications,” the official told The Times, that a Patriot missile might have shot down the F-16. However, they added that other causes have not been ruled out.

A day later, the publication published another report quoting two unnamed senior US officials who said friendly fire was unlikely to be the cause of the crash.

But further questions were raised by Ukrainian parliamentarian Mariana Bezuhla, who claimed on Thursday that she had received information indicating a friendly fire incident involving a Patriot missile was due to miscoordination between units.

Mes was flying as Ukraine struggled to repel one of Russia’s fiercest airstrikes, involving what Kiev said were more than 200 missiles and drones.

Bezuhla later challenged the Ukrainian Air Force to refute her claims, accusing the organization of trying to cover up its mistakes and of failing to properly investigate friendly fire incidents.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired the head of the country’s air force, Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleschuk, on Friday. His office did not say why.

Lt. Gen. Kryvonozhok Anatoliy Mykolayovych is expected to replace Oleschuk.

The losses of both the F-16 and Mes are significant blows to Ukraine, which began receiving Western fighters this summer and has been pressing hard for its allies to supply them.

Mes, known by the nickname “Moonfish”, has helped campaign for the West to supply F-16s, saying publicly that they are like upgrading from an old Nokia to an iPhone and that he is one of Ukraine’s precious few pilots who could pilot them.

The arrival of the F-16s, which cost between $20 million and $70 million each, was seen as strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses and allowing it to conduct better, if limited, raids on high-value targets.

But observers say the aircraft is unlikely to be a game-changer for Ukraine. Zelenskyy has often pointed out that equipment like F-16s take too long to get to war and in limited numbers.

Ukraine is expected to receive about 85 of the fighters, but is having difficulty training pilots quickly.

Bezuhla, Ukraine’s defense ministry and Zelenskyy’s press team did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s after-hours requests for comment.