In the early hours of May 16, the Ukrainian Air Force lost one of its F-16 fighter jets. The official page of the Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported this on Facebook. The fighter was engaged in repelling an air attack by Russian forces.
“On May 16, 2025, around 03:30, contact was lost with an F-16 aircraft. The Ukrainian fighter was carrying out a mission to intercept an enemy air assault,” the statement said.
Representatives of the Ukrainian Air Force Command stated that the pilot managed to destroy three aerial targets and was engaging a fourth using the aircraft’s cannon when an emergency occurred on board. “The pilot diverted the plane as far as possible from populated areas and successfully ejected,” the statement added.
A search and rescue team quickly located and evacuated the pilot. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that the pilot is in stable condition and currently in a safe location, with no threats to their life or health. An official commission has been appointed to conduct an objective investigation into the incident.
On the night of May 16, Russia launched 112 Shahed attack drones and various types of decoy drones against Ukraine. The attacks originated from directions including Bryansk, Kursk, Oryol, Millerovo, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk. Ukrainian forces responded with aviation, air defense missile units, electronic warfare teams, and mobile fire groups to repel the air assault.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that by 9:00 a.m. Kyiv time, 73 Shahed attack drones had been confirmed shot down across eastern, northern, southern, and central regions of the country. Additionally, 36 decoy drones were lost due to location tracking but caused no harm. “As a result of the enemy attack, damage was reported in the Odessa, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, and Kyiv regions,” the Air Force Command’s page stated.
