A Ukrainian pilot was killed when his F-16 jet fighter crashed as he was helping to repel a massive Russian missile attack. The crash occurred on August 26, just weeks after the first American-made aircraft arrived in UkraineThe jet came down and its pilot died while it was approaching a target during a Russian airstrike, the Ukrainian army said on August 29. The F-16s had “demonstrated high efficiency” and downed four Russian cruise missiles, it added.The Ukrainian Air Force identified the slain F-16 pilot as Oleksiy Mes who was known by the call sign ‘Moonfish.’ A Ukrainian military official described Mes as a hero who successfully shot down multiple Russian missiles before the crash. Ukraine’s Air Force Western command posted on Facebook an obituary of a pilot, Oleksiy Mes, but did not say he was an F-16 pilot. Moonfish, one of the better-known Ukrainian pilots, was reportedly trained for F-16 missions in the US in 2023.The Ukrainian pilot had also visited Washington to lobby the US to send Ukraine F-16 fighter jets.
Read More: Russian Attack Or Friendly Fire? Ukraine Pilot ‘Moonfish’ Killed In F-16 “Crash” Amid Rocket
