US confirms loss of first F-16 fighter jet in Ukraine

A senior U.S. official has confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that Ukraine has lost one of the F-16 fighter jets delivered to it.The incident occurred on Monday, "just a few weeks after the arrival of the first American combat aircraft in Ukraine." According to the representative of the American authorities on condition of anonymity, the F-16 was not shot down, but crashed as a result of pilot error. At the same time, it is emphasized that the crash occurred amid "massive missile strikes."In response to a request from the media outlet, the Pentagon advised him to contact the Ukrainian Air Force, but did not confirm the crash or provide information on the pilot's health.Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on August 7 that the F-16 fighter jets would not be a panacea that could influence the course of hostilities and would be "systematically destroyed by the Russian armed forces."Source: Burkina Information Agency