The Air Force did not provide details, noting that today F-16 pilots are performing combat missions in various directions «under incredibly difficult conditions, providing fighter cover for aviation strike groups and striking enemy targets».
«Ukrainian pilots are working at the maximum of human and technical capabilities, risking their lives every time they carry out combat missions. Pavel was one of them. All circumstances of the tragedy are being established by an interdepartmental commission, which has already begun its work», — the statement said.
This is the second officially confirmed loss of an F-16. In August 2024, Ukraine lost its first F-16 while repelling a massive missile strike, pilot Alexey Mes died. According to preliminary information, the aircraft was shot down by Ukrainian air defense.
In February 2025, the publication The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources, that Ukraine shot down its fighter due to US actions. As the publication wrote, when the F-16 arrived in Ukraine, the administration of US President Joe Biden concealed a key technology that helps ground air defense distinguish friend from foe.