Ukrainian authorities have confirmed the death of 26-year-old Captain Pavlo Ivanov, who was piloting an F-16 fighter jet when it was shot down during a combat mission on 12 April.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine to the fallen F-16 pilot Pavlo Ivanov.
According to BBC sources, Ivanov’s aircraft was likely hit by a Russian missile.
“Russians fired three missiles at the plane. It was either a guided anti-aircraft missile from an S-400 ground complex or an air-to-air R-37 missile,” a government source told the BBC.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Ivanov died “in battle, defending his native land from Russioan occupying forces.” The Air Force said that “F-16 pilots perform combat missions in incredibly difficult conditions almost daily.”
“I was so proud that we managed to pull you from combat missions and send you for retraining on the F-16. One of the first Ukrainian F-16 pilots – a combat assault pilot who completed 130 combat sorties before retraining,” Rostislav Lazarenko, deputy commander of the 299th Tactical Aviation Brigade, shared memories of Ivanov on social media.
He added that Ivanov never refused combat assignments. “You never refused combat missions, and I don’t even know if it was such strong trust in me as a commander, or if it was deep faith in yourself – because you were truly a strong pilot,” Lazarenko added.
This marks the second confirmed loss of an F-16 pilot and aircraft since Ukraine received the fighters in July 2024. The first incident occurred on 26 August when experienced pilot Oleksii Mes was shot down while intercepting Russian cruise missiles over western Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities have established an interagency commission to investigate the circumstances of Ivanov’s death. Officials have ruled out “friendly fire,” saying that Ukrainian air defense systems could not have been operating in the area where Ivanov was performing his mission.
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