Kyiv - Saba:
Ukrainian parliamentarian Marianna Bezuglaya admitted that air defenses shot down an F-16 fighter jet, citing the faulty IFF system.
Following reports of the death of a Ukrainian pilot flying the plane, the parliamentarian said on her Telegram channel, as reported by the Russian RT channel, "The IFF system is still not fully operational." She noted that the results of the investigation into the crash of the previous F-16 have also not been published.
Previously, the Ukrainian Air Force announced the death of 26-year-old pilot Pavlo Ivanov while carrying out a combat mission on April 12, a claim also confirmed by Volodymyr Zelensky. The location and circumstances of the pilot's death have not been determined. The cause of the crash has also not been reported.
On August 29, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces acknowledged the loss of the first F-16 fighter jet transferred to Ukraine, and a special commission is investigating the causes of the incident.
The Wall Street Journal had previously reported that the F-16 crashed due to pilot error. Ukrainian parliament member Marianna Bezoglyaya stated that the fighter jet was shot down by the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Patriot air defense system due to a lack of coordination between units.
The exact number of F-16s supplied to Ukraine by Western countries remains unknown. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has so far confirmed the loss of only one of these aircraft.