During the combat mission, the pilot of the F-16 fighter Pavlo Ivanov was killed and he was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine
On April 12, 26-year-old Pavlo Ivanov, an F-16 fighter pilot, died in Ukraine during a combat mission. About this reported on the Telegram channel of the Air Force of Ukraine, however, the circumstances of his death were not reported.
For information, which was provided by BBC Ukraine with reference to sources in the power structures, a Ukrainian F-16 fighter piloted by Pavlo Ivanov was allegedly destroyed by a missile fired by Russian forces. According to the source, three missiles were launched at the plane, and with a high probability, we are talking about a guided anti-aircraft missile S-400 or an air-based missile R-37, which could have hit the F-16. Clarification of which rocket became fatal is currently pending — the investigation is ongoing.
At the same time, the source completely rejected the possibility that the plane was hit by so-called “friendly fire”, stressing that Ukrainian air defense systems were not active in the air zone where Ivanov was. Therefore, the scenario of an accidental defeat by one’s own forces is excluded. The pilot died while performing a combat mission on the F-16 fighter, which was recently introduced into the combat composition of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
After receiving the reports from the military command, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that the circumstances of the incident will be thoroughly investigated. Already in the evening of April 12, the head of state signed a decree posthumously conferring the title of Hero of Ukraine on Pavlo Ivanov.
The death of the young pilot was the first officially confirmed loss of the F-16 combat aircraft, which Ukraine received from Western partners in 2024-2025. The event caused a wide public outcry and once again drew attention to the level of threats from Russian air defense and missile weapons.
