F-16 pilot Oleksandr Mes dies repelling massive Russian attack on 26 August

On 26 August, Ukrainian Armed Forces pilot Oleksiy Mes died.

This was reported by the Ukrainian Air Force.

Mes destroyed three cruise missiles and one attack UAV while repelling a Russian massive combined missile and air strike.

The Air Force said the pilot ‘was a strong and dedicated warrior, a highly skilled pilot, a leader on the ground and in the sky, a good friend, a loving son, father, husband, and a patriot of his country.’

The soldier was buried on 29 August. His fellow pilots, commanders and subordinates, friends and colleagues, and hundreds of ordinary Ukrainians came to say goodbye to him. A pair of MiG-29 fighters paid tribute to the fallen pilot. In addition, Lieutenant Colonel Oleksiy Mes was posthumously promoted to the rank of colonel by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

CNN notes that Mes died in the crash of an F-16 fighter jet. The channel's sources noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not believe that the incident was caused by pilot error. An investigation is currently underway, involving international experts.

Mes was one of the few pilots trained to fly the F-16.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed later that F-16s were used in the repulsion of the missile attack on Monday, along with anti-aircraft missile units. 

‘During the air battle, the F-16s demonstrated their high efficiency, shooting down four enemy cruise missiles with their onboard weapons. During the approach to the next target, one of the aircraft lost contact with the other. As it turned out later, the aircraft crashed, and the pilot was killed,’ the command said.

The General Staff added that a special commission of the Ministry of Defence has been appointed to investigate the causes of the crash and is working in the area where the plane crashed.