Breaking News: Russia Shoots Down Ukrainian F-16 Fighter Jet
KYIV – Russia has downed a Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet supplied by the West in the Zaporizhzhia region on Thursday. The American-made aircraft was intercepted by Moscow’s air defense system while preparing to launch a missile strike.
"An F-16 was in position to launch a missile strike in that area and was shot down," said Vladimir Rogov, deputy chairman of the Russian Coordinating Council for the New Territories, as reported by news agency TASS on Friday (27/12/2024).
Ukraine has not yet commented on the incident. If confirmed, this would be the second F-16 Fighting Falcon lost by Ukraine.
The first Ukrainian F-16 was shot down amidst a series of Russian missile strikes in August, leading to the death of renowned pilot Oleksiy Mez. Ukrainian military officials at the time claimed that the cause of the crash was not a direct result of enemy missile fire. They stated that Mez had destroyed three cruise missiles and one unmanned aircraft during a massive Russian attack.
Delivery of Western F-16s to Ukraine Delayed
Ukraine may have to wait longer than expected for the Belgian F-16s promised to them, as the initial end-of-year delivery schedule has been pushed back.
A new report from Belgian daily Le Soir reveals that the delivery timeline has slipped, with the first batch of American-made fighter jets now unlikely to arrive until 2025.
In May, Ukraine and Belgium signed a security agreement that included the provision of 30 F-16 units. At the time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had hoped that the first wave would arrive by the end of 2024. However, this timeline is no longer feasible.
Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder visited Poland last week to inspect the Belgian Army’s operations in 2025, where it became clear that the F-16 delivery to Ukraine would not take place this year.
