US believes that friendly fire was probably not cause of F-16 crash - NYT
Two senior US military officials said friendly fire was likely not the cause of the F-16 crash. The following versions are considered, in particular, as a technical malfunction or pilot error
As Censor.NET reports with reference to European Pravda, unnamed American officials told the New York Times about this.
As the publication reminds, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident, including the version expressed by one of the Western officials on Friday that it was the result of friendly fire from a Patriot missile battery.
However, two senior US military officials said on Saturday that friendly fire was likely not the cause of the F-16 crash.
According to them, American and Ukrainian investigators are considering several versions, in particular, technical malfunction or pilot error.
Also remind, on the evening of August 29, the General Staff of Ukraine confirmed the loss of an F-16 fighter during a Russian missile attack on Ukraine.
Before that, it became known that on August 26, pilot Oleksii Mes died while repelling a Russian missile strike.
The deputy head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence "servant of the people" Mariana Bezuhla said that the F-16 fighter of Ukrainian pilot Oleksiy "Moonfish" Mesia was shot down by a Patriot air defense system due to a lack of coordination between units.
On Friday, August 30, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Mykola Oleschuk from the position of commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
