A F-16 fighter pilot ace who died in an airbase attack is believed to have been downed by friendly fire from a US-made anti-aircraft gun, Ukraine has revealed.
The loss of Lt-Col Oleksii Mes, 31, was confirmed in a social media obituary by the mayor of Lutsk – who said he died ‘while performing a combat mission to protect the territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine’.
Known by his callsign ‘Moonfish’, the airman was the first Ukrainian fighter qualified to fly the Fighting Falcon, and was instrumental in the beseiged country’s successful bid for Nato and the US to supply the jets, worth more than £50million each.
Hundreds attended the solemn funeral in the pilot’s home town of Shepetivka, where he was laid to rest draped in the Ukrainian flag.
A pair of MiG-29s, captained by his comrades, honoured the service with a flypast as he was posthumously given the rank of colonel.
While the exact cause of Lt-Col Mes’ death are unclear, it currently appears that his craft was shot down by a US-made Patriot anti-aircraft defences during a Russian attack.
The rite of burial of Ukrainian F-16 pilot Oleksiy Mest, on the Day of Remembrance for Fallen Heroes
The loss of Lt-Col Oleksii Mes, 31, was confirmed in a social media obituary by the mayor of Lutsk
Hundreds attended a farewell ceremony for the deceased tactical aviation pilot in the central square of Shepetivka
Ukranians weep at the coffin of downed F-16 pilot Oleksiy Mest, who is believed to have been downed by friendly fire
Mest died ‘while performing a combat mission to protect the territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine’
A pair of MiG-29s, captained by his comrades, honoured the service with a flypast as he was posthumously given the rank of colonel
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky fired the commander of the country’s air force over the death of the pilot on Friday, after Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk launched a tirade against a lawmaker who claimed he was downed by their own missiles.
Mariana Bezuhla, deputy head of the Ukrainian parliament’s defence committee, cited unnamed sources for her claim and demanded punishment for those responsible for the error.
Mr Oleshchuk accused Ms Bezuhla of defaming the air force and discrediting US arms manufacturers and said that he hoped she would face legal consequences for her claims.
‘The truth will win,’ Ms Bezuhla posted on X shortly after the dismissal order was published.
The air force did not directly deny that the F16 was hit by a Patriot missile.
US experts have joined the Ukrainian investigation into the crash, the air force said.
It comes as Russian shelling in Ukraine’s Donetsk region killed five people yesterday, forcing the governor of the town of Chasiv Yar to urge remaining residents to evacuate.
The attack struck a high-rise building and a private home, said regional governor Vadym Filaskhin, who said the victims were men aged 24 to 38.
Known by his callsign ‘Moonfish’, the airman was the first Ukrainian fighter qualified to fly the Fighting Falcon
Mest was instrumental in the under-siege country’s successful bid for Nato and the US to supply the jets, which are worth more than £50million each
Hundreds attended the solemn funeral in the pilot’s home town of Shepetivka, where he was laid to rest draped in the Ukrainian flag
While the exact cause of Lt-Col Mes’ death are unclear, it currently appears that his craft was shot down by a US-made Patriot anti-aircraft defences during a Russian attack
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky fired the commander of the country’s air force over the death of the pilot on Friday
Former Air Force boss Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk launched a tirade against a lawmaker who claimed Mest was downed by their own missiles
He said anyone left in the eastern front-line town, which had a pre-war population of 12,000, should leave.
Mr Filaskhin wrote on social media: ‘Normal life has been impossible in Chasiv Yar for more than two years. Do not become a Russian target – evacuate.’
A further two people were killed by Russian shelling in the Kharkiv region. One victim was pulled from the rubble of a house in the village of Cherkaska Lozova, said governor Oleh Syniehubov, while a second woman died of her injuries while being taken to hospital.
While Ukraine’s forces continue their incursion into the Kursk region, Russia’s ministry of defence said its troops had captured the town of Pivnichne, in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
Pilots were training in the West for two years to fly the F-16 multi-role fighters which began arriving in Ukraine in recent weeks.
Russia has offered £124,000 cash rewards to its armed forces for downing the first elite F-16 Western aircraft.
Earlier footage showed Mes abroad in NATO state Denmark when he trained on the F-16s, having previously been a MiG-29 pilot.
The mayor described him as deputy commander of a special operations support group, and said: ‘Our sincere condolences to the family and friends. Eternal memory, honour and respect to the Heroes!’
The air force did not directly deny that the F16 was hit by a Patriot missile
US experts have joined the Ukrainian investigation into the crash, the air force said
A woman cries as she touches Mest’s coffin, before it was buried by his comrades
Oleksiy advocated and contributed significantly to the transfer of modern F-16 aircraft to Ukraine
Ukranians dig the grave of hero pilot Mest, who died while his air base was under attack
One friend, Tetiana Shevchik, wrote: ‘Oleksiy was an exemplary pilot. Always an excellent student, always the first, always the best.’
Ukranian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko paid tribute to a hero whose death is seen as a tragedy in his homeland.
He told The Sunday Telegraph: ‘He was one of those who promoted the idea of providing Ukraine with modern aircraft,
‘And eventually he was one of the first Ukrainian pilots to be trained on the F-16. This is a truly heavy loss for the entire Ukraine and the Air Force in particular.’
The loss comes as Zelenskiy increased pressure on the United States to let Kyiv strike deeper into Russian territory after his representatives met senior U.S. officials in Washington on Saturday.
Washington has provided Ukraine with more than $50 billion worth of military aid since 2022, but has limited the use of its weapons to Ukrainian soil and defensive crossborder operations.
‘Clearing the Ukrainian sky of Russian guided aerial bombs is a strong step to force Russia to seek an end to the war and a just peace,’ Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.
Appealing to the United States, Britain, France and Germany, he said, ‘We need the capabilities to truly and fully protect Ukraine and Ukrainians.
A soldier is comforted as he cries at the funeral of his fallen comrade
Pilots were training in the West for two years to fly the F-16 multi-role fighters which began arriving in Ukraine in recent weeks
Russia has offered £124,000 cash rewards to its armed forces for downing the first elite F-16 Western aircraft
Earlier footage showed Mes abroad in NATO state Denmark when he trained on the F-16s, having previously been a MiG-29 pilot
The mayor described Mest as deputy commander of a special operations support group
‘We need both the permissions for long-range capabilities and your long-range shells and missiles.’
Without providing specifics, he said his representatives had ‘provided all the necessary details’ to Ukraine’s partners.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, in Washington with a delegation on Friday and Saturday to meet U.S. officials and experts, said in an interview broadcast by CNN that Kyiv was showing Russian airfields used to hit Ukrainian cities were within range of deep strikes.
‘We have explained what kind of capabilities we need to protect the citizens against the Russian terror that Russians are causing us, so I hope we were heard,’ Umerov said in the interview late on Friday.
Zelenskiy is expected to deliver a similar plea in person next month, when he will present a plan for victory to President Joe Biden near the end of his time in the Oval Office, and attend United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York.
Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, who headed Kyiv’s delegation, said in a post on X that she had discussed the steps needed to restore Ukraine’s energy system, including a ‘significant contribution’ being made by an $800 million energy sector financing package that was announced in June.
Russian air strikes have affected more than half of Ukraine’s power infrastructure, she said.
The president’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak joined Umerov in briefing U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about the situation on the battlefield in the first meeting of their visit on Friday, the presidential office said in a statement.
A young man holds a portrait of hero air ace Mest, while his coffin lies in the background
Mest was posthumously given the rank of colonel for his heroic actions as a pilot
A soldier casts flowers into Mest’s grave as the force give him a hero’s burial
The loss comes as Zelenskiy increased pressure on the United States to let Kyiv strike deeper into Russian territory
Huge crowds gathered for the airman’s funeral, with many holding bouquets for the doomed ace
Ukraine launched an overnight drone attack targeting Moscow and several other Russian regions last night, Russian officials said.
A drone flying towards Moscow was destroyed in the region surrounding the Russian capital, Moscow’s Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
At least 12 Ukraine-launched drones were also destroyed over the border region of Bryansk in Russia’s southwest, the region’s governor, Alexander Bogomaz, said on Telegram.
Two of the unmanned attack vehicles were also downed over the Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, acting governor of the region that has been partially taken over by Ukraine’s incursion, said on Telegram.
There were no injuries or damage as a result of any of the attacks, according to preliminary information, the officials said.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
Russian officials rarely disclose the full extent of damage inflicted by Ukraine’s air attack, especially when it concerns the countryâs military or transport infrastructure.