Ukraine loses F-16 fighter jet and pilot in overnight Russian attacks
The air force statement said that the pilot, a lieutenant colonel, did all he could to guide his stricken plane away from residential areas, but he failed to eject in time.
The pilot, born in 1993, reportedly downed seven targets before being hit.
"Unfortunately, we have suffered another painful loss," the air force statement said.
According to the report, Russia launched more than 500 drones, missiles and cruise missiles at Ukrainian territory overnight, causing injuries and severe damage to civilian infrastructure.
The loss of pilots trained in the West on US F-16 fighter jets is seen as highly significant for Ukraine. Losses from F-16 squadrons have been relatively rare to date.
Ukraine has been warding off Russia's full-scale invasion since February 2022.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
She built a sanctuary for monkeys. It's now a haven for veterans with PTSD.
John Richard barely slept Monday night, kept awake by traumatic memories from his three years in the U.S. Army. He struggled to get out of bed the next morning, so he drove to his recent haven: a monkey sanctuary.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mali arrests generals, French national accused in alleged destabilisation plot
BAMAKO (Reuters) -Mali's military-led government has arrested two generals and a French national, accusing them of participating in an alleged plot to destabilise the West African nation, according to a government statement and state-owned media. Mali has endured over a decade of turmoil marked by Islamist insurgencies in its arid north along with political instability that culminated in a series of coups in 2020 and 2021 that brought current president General Assimi Goita to power. Sources told Reuters earlier this week that more than 30 soldiers and military officials had been taken into custody on suspicion of attempting to destabilise Goita's government. Mali's ministry of territorial administration, in a statement released late on Thursday, said those arrested included Yann Vezilier, a French citizen. France's once close relationship with its former colonies in West Africa's Sahel region has soured in recent years as military officers have overthrown civilian governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Paris has withdrawn French troops involved in an operation to combat Islamist militants there under pressure from the countries' new leadership. Mali, which cut military ties with France, has meanwhile turned to Russia for support. The ministry statement accused Vezilier of acting on behalf of French intelligence services to mobilise political and civil society figures and military officers. A French foreign ministry spokesperson said Friday that it had no official comment on Vezilier's arrest. Malian state media showed images of 10 other people detained for involvement in the alleged plot, including General Abass Dembele, who is the former governor of the central Mopti region, and General Nema Sagara, another leading military figure. The ministry did not specify how many people had been arrested in total but described them as "a group of marginal elements" and said the situation was under control. Mali's military authorities have failed to keep their promise to hold elections. Instead, Goita was granted a five-year renewable term in June and political activities were suspended across the country. While Mali's military junta cited the civilian authorities' failure to put down Islamist uprisings in the north among its justifications for seizing power, security woes have persisted under Goita. The past few months have seen a surge of deadly attacks by Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, an al-Qaeda-linked group that also operates in Burkina Faso and Niger.
Bloomberg
4 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Mali Says It Thwarts Coup, Arrests French National, Soldiers
Mali's military government said it foiled a coup attempt and arrested several senior army officers and a French national suspected of plotting to destabilize the junta. Those taken into custody included General Abass Dembele, a former governor of Mali's central Mopti region, the junta said late Thursday.
