[Text/Watchman Network Wang Shih-pu] After Ukraine admitted that there were "combat losses" of F-16 aircraft, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed on April 13 that Russian forces had shot down 1 Ukrainian Air Force F-16 aircraft within the past 24 hours.

The Ukrainian Air Force posted on social media on the 12th, saying that an air force pilot died while flying a U.S.-made F-16 fighter jet on a combat mission that day. Subsequently, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) cited sources as stating that the aircraft may have been shot down by Russian forces.

Zelenskyy inspects F-16 aircraft on social media

S-400 air defense system in Russia's Far East, Russia's Satellite News Agency

The Russian Defense Ministry stated in the evening on the 13th that Russian air defense systems had shot down one F-16 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force, 8 JDAM guided bombs, seven HIMARS multiple rocket launcher rockets provided by the United States, and 207 drone aircraft. This is the first time the Russian military has acknowledged shooting down a Ukrainian F-16 aircraft.

Previously on April 12, the Ukrainian Air Force suddenly announced that 26-year-old pilot Pavlo Ivanov was killed when flying an F-16 fighter jet on a combat mission.

The Ukrainian Air Force released a statement on social media on the 12th, stating that on that day, 26-year-old Pavlo Ivanov died while flying a U.S.-made F-16 fighter jet on a combat mission. "He sacrificed himself in battle to defend his country... F-16 pilots are almost daily carrying out combat missions under very arduous conditions, providing fighter cover for air strike teams and striking enemy targets." The official Ukrainian side did not disclose the location of the incident or specific circumstances.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy expressed condolences to Ivanov's family on the same day and emphasized that he had received a report from the military about the situation of this battle. The specific circumstances of the incident are still under investigation. In the evening of April 12 local time, Zelenskyy posthumously awarded Ivanov the title of "Hero of Ukraine" to honor his "personal courage and heroism demonstrated in defending Ukraine's national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

BBC was the first to acknowledge that the Russian military had shot down an F-16. A source told BBC that Ivanov's plane was likely hit by Russian missiles. "Russian forces launched three missiles at this plane, either S-400 surface-to-air missiles or R-37 missiles."

Russian news agency reported citing Russian pilot Alexei Voyevoda's statement that the F-16 fighter jet was shot down by a Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile. Voyevoda also pointed out the exact time the fighter jet was hit—11:45 local time on the 12th.

Social media of the fallen Ukrainian F-16 pilot

Previously, Voyevoda stated that according to eyewitnesses, this F-16 fighter jet was attacked by an air defense missile over Sumy. The aircraft successfully dodged two missiles but was hit by the third one.

BBC noted that this is the second case of an F-16 being shot down and its pilot dying that Ukraine has acknowledged.

The first incident occurred on August 26, 2024. An announcement released by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the time stated that the F-16 aircraft went missing during a mission to intercept Russian airborne targets. Post-incident investigations confirmed that the aircraft crashed and the pilot perished.

At that time, The Wall Street Journal believed that the aircraft was hit by a missile from Ukraine's air defense system.

Previously, on March 20, Russian forces claimed to have used a Su-35S fighter jet to relay guidance for an S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile to attack an F-16 fighter jet over Sumy in Ukraine. Although Russian onboard data links showed a hit, Ukraine subsequently confirmed that the F-16 aircraft returned to a Ukrainian airbase. Both sides later confirmed that the attack failed.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Watchman Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7493094250008396342/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and welcome your opinions to be expressed through the [Like/Dislike] buttons below.