US officials say it is unlikely that An F-16 fighter jet in Ukraine was shot down by a Patriot system. Investigators are studying other versions of the cause of the plane crash.
This was reported by URA-Inform, citing The New York Times.
According to According to the source, two senior US military officials have ruled out the possibility that the crash was caused by “friendly fire.” Instead, US and Ukrainian investigators are exploring various hypotheses, including a technical malfunction of the plane or pilot error.
Earlier, MP Maryana Bezugla suggested that the F-16 could have been shot down by fire from Ukrainian forces and accused the then commander of the Ukrainian Air Force Mykola Oleshchuk of concealing the truth. Oleshchuk responded to the accusations, stating that the investigation was ongoing and the causes of the tragedy had not yet been established. .
Recall that recently it became known about the first loss of an F-16 fighter. The aircraft participated in repelling a massive Russian attack, shooting down four targets. However, when approaching the next target, the fighter lost contact and was lost.