Strana 32
pilot, Colonel Oleksiy Mes, call sign "Moonfish."
On that day, Russia launched one of its largest
attacks since the war began, sending more
than 200 missiles and drones toward Ukraine,
targeting 15 of its 24 regions. F-16s participated
in this defense, likely marking their first
combat action. President Volodymyr Zelensky
announced the next day, Tuesday, August 27,
that the F-16s had achieved their first aerial
victories against Russian missiles. However,
on Thursday, August 29, it was revealed that
one F-16 was lost during this action, along with
its pilot.
The news was confirmed by MP Mariana
Bezuhla, who stated that Oleksiy Mes
was shot down by a Patriot missile due to
poor coordination among Ukrainian forces.
Ukrainian Air Force Commander Lieutenant
General Mykola Oleshchuk responded sharply
to the MP's remarks, but the next day, on Friday,
September 30, President Zelensky dismissed
him from his post, appointing Lieutenant
General Anatoliy Kryvonozhko as the new
commander of Ukraine's Air Force.
Even a month later, it is still unclear what
exactly happened. During his combat mission,
Mes destroyed three cruise missiles and one
kamikaze drone. While he was approaching
another target, communication was lost. The
plane crashed, and the pilot died. Several
possible causes have been suggested,
including friendly fire from a Patriot missile,
a technical malfunction, or a collision with
debris from a destroyed Russian missile,
a known risk in such missions. Ukraine had
already lost four fighters (two MiG-29s and
two Su-27s) this way.
The destruction of Ukraine’s first F-16 and
the death of Oleksii Mes holds not only military
significance but also great symbolic meaning.
At the start of the war, Mes commanded a unit
equipped with MiG-29 fighter jets. He was one
of the voices in the campaign that advocated
for the delivery of F-16 aircraft from Western
allies. Together with Major Andrii Pilshchykov,
who had the call sign "Juice," they lobbied in
the U.S. during the summer of 2022.
Tragically, Pilshchykov died before this
dream could materialize - on August 25,
2023 perishing in a training flight collision
between two L-39 Albatros aircraft. At that
time, in August 2023, Mes became one of
the first Ukrainian pilots to begin training in
the West. In the fall of 2023, he transitioned
from a simulator to the cockpit of a real F-16,
becoming the very first Ukrainian pilot to do
so. He also played a major role in integrating
these fighter jets into Ukraine’s air force.
Mes died exactly one year and one day after his
comrade Pilshchykov.
The first F-16 fighter jets appeared over Ukraine
at the turn of July and August.
Andriy Pilshchykov and Oleksiy Mes
lobbied for the delivery of F-16s. The first
one died on August 25, 2023, and the second
one exactly one year and one day later.
Oleksiy Mes during the training on F-16.
The Ukrainian Air Force published a series of photos of the Su-27.
A new photograph of the ex-Slovak MiG-29 fighter
jet in Ukrainian service.
UKRAINE
INFO Eduard32
October 2024