The aircraft was destroyed, and the pilot killed during a sortie to intercept incoming Russian cruise missiles.
“In the course of the air battle, the F-16 aircraft demonstrated high efficiency, and their onboard weapons shot down four enemy cruise missiles,” the General Staff reported.
The statement said that contact with the jet was lost as it maneuvered toward the next target. It was later discovered that the aircraft had crashed.
A special commission from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has been appointed to investigate the causes of the crash and is currently working on site.
Earlier on Aug. 29, the Wall Street Journal, citing an unnamed U.S. official, reported that one of Ukraine’s F-16 fighter jet might have crashed during the massive Russian missile attack on Ukraine on August 26.