Russian missile shoots down Ukrainian F-16 in Zaporizhzhia: Reports

[ryan robertson]

RUSSIA SAYS IT SHOT DOWN AN F-16 IN UKRAINE.

RUSSIAN STATE MEDIA CLAIMS THE COUNTRY’S AIR DEFENSES SHOT DOWN THE UKRAINIAN-MANNED FIGHTER JET IN THE ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION.
ACCORDING TO VLADIMIR ROGOV, THE KREMLIN-APPOINTED LEADER OF THE OCCUPIED AREA, THE JET WAS DOWNED AFTER LAUNCHING A MISSILE.
UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS HAVE NOT CONFIRMED THE INCIDENT.

IF IT’S TRUE, THIS WOULD REPRESENT ONLY THE SECOND LOSS OF AN F-16 SINCE UKRAINE BEGAN RECEIVING THE JETS FROM WESTERN ALLIES. UKRAINIAN AUTHORITIES PREVIOUSLY REPORTED THE CRASH OF AN F-16 IN AUGUST DURING A RESPONSE TO A RUSSIAN MISSILE ATTACK, THOUGH THE EXACT CIRCUMSTANCES OF THAT CRASH REMAIN UNCLEAR.

THE RUSSIAN OIL COMPANY FORES WAS OFFERING A BOUNTY OF 15 MILLION RUBLES FOR A DOWNED F-16. AT THE TIME THE BOUNTY WAS ANNOUNCED, IT WAS WORTH AROUND 170-THOUSAND DOLLARS…NOW THE EXCHANGE RATE PUTS THE BOUNTY AT AROUND 146 THOUSAND DOLLARS.

BUT EACH FIGHTER LOST COSTS UKRAINE MORE THAN MONEY. EVERY F-16 SHOT DOWN IS A CRUCIAL HIT TO UKRAINE’S AIR DEFENSE. THE COUNTRY SECURED COMMITMENTS FOR JUST OVER 100 F-16S FROM ALLIES LIKE DENMARK, THE NETHERLANDS, NORWAY, BELGIUM, AND GREECE, WITH LOGISTICAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THE UNITED STATES.

UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY CAUTIONS THE CURRENT NUMBER OF JETS MAY NOT BE ENOUGH TO COMPETE WITH RUSSIAN AIR POWER DELAYS IN PILOT TRAINING FURTHER SLOWED UKRAINE’S ABILITY TO DEPLOY THE JETS EFFECTIVELY. UKRAINE ALSO HAD TO NAVIGATE ADAPTING ITS EXISTING WEAPONS ONTO THE WESTERN MADE F-16S–
BUT THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE FIGHTERS TO UKRAINE IS PRESENTING ENOUGH DILEMMAS FOR RUSSIA TO JUSTIFY THE COMPLICATIONS UKRAINE FACED.

RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEI LAVROV DESCRIBED THE DELIVERY OF F-16S AS A “SIGNAL ACTION” BY NATO, SUGGESTING IT COULD ESCALATE NUCLEAR TENSIONS. WESTERN OFFICIALS, HOWEVER, DOWNPLAYED THE CLAIM, CALLING IT STANDARD MILITARY SUPPORT

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