Kyiv/ Moscow: Russia has claimed that its S-300 air defence system has shot down a US-made F-16 fighter jet operated by Ukraine, terming the aircraft an “exciting target” in the ongoing conflict.
The loss of the jet, supplied by the United States to Kyiv, represents a significant setback for both Ukraine and Washington, given the F-16’s reputation as a versatile multirole combat aircraft.
According to an interview aired on Russia 1 TV, a Russian commander said that the S-300 system fired two missiles at the F-16 during a carefully planned operation. He claimed the first missile damaged the aircraft, while the second one completely destroyed it in the air. The commander added that preparations for the strike took considerable time, as Russian forces had been tracking the jet and assessing the best opportunity to engage it.
The commander further asserted that, despite Ukrainian confidence that the F-16 would be difficult to bring down, the jet “falls from the sky like any other aircraft” once targeted effectively. Ukraine reportedly began receiving F-16s in August 2024 and has since acknowledged the loss of four such fighters in the war.
Citing a Business Insider report, the article notes that Kyiv has so far received 44 out of 87 F-16s pledged by European partners. Earlier, Russia also claimed it had responded to an alleged Ukrainian drone attack near President Vladimir Putin’s residence with an intermediate-range “Oresnik” hypersonic missile, said to travel at up to 10 times the speed of sound and capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, though there was no indication that nuclear payloads were used in that strike.