One of the handful of F-16 fighters that NATO donated to Ukraine has already been lost, multiple US outlets reported on Thursday, citing Ukrainian officials.
Several European NATO members had pledged to supply Kiev with US-made jets, the first of which were spotted over Odessa earlier this month.
On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that one of the F-16s was “destroyed in a crash on Monday.” Citing a US official, the outlet said the plane was not shot down, but likely crashed as “a result of pilot error.”
The Ukrainian military does not believe pilot error was behind the crash, CNN claimed, citing a source in Kiev. The incident is under investigation and “international experts” will be invited to participate, the source said.
CNN also reported that the pilot, identified as Aleksey “Moonfish” Mes, one of just a handful of Ukrainian officers trained to fly F-16s, was killed in the crash.
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