Ukraine has publicly acknowledged the loss of three F-16 Fighting Falcons in the ongoing conflict, but not to a Russian missile. Meanwhile, Russian servicemen have been awarded prize money for downing the Ukrainian Fighting Falcons.
Sergey Shmotyev, the Director General of the Fores, told TASS that 12 Russian soldiers who helped shoot down the first F-16 fighter in the ‘special military operation’ zone have received 15 million rubles ($195,000). The award ceremony was held on May 29 in a border area, with the Commanders in attendance.
“Twelve servicemen involved in downing the target received money certificates,” the company said in an official announcement.
Indian Air Force veteran and military commentator, Squadron Leader Vijainder K. Thakur (retd) said that the awarding of prize money to 12 servicemen validates the theory that a Ukrainian F-16 was shot down by a Russian S-400 air defense system, referring to the number of crew that typically operate the system. The expert also drew attention to previous speculations that a Su-35S was responsible for the downing.
“Earlier, there was speculation that a Su-35S fighter may have provided targeting information to the S-400 system to facilitate the shoot-down. It was believed that the F-16’s low altitude and great distance from the S-400 would have placed it outside the system’s engagement envelope. However, the absence of any Su-35S pilots among the awardees suggests that the F-16 was detected, tracked, and engaged solely by the S-400 system,” Thakur said.
Notably, the Director General of Fores, Shmotyev, told TASS in December 2024, “Payment for the downed F-16 is our contribution to support those who risk their lives every day for the security of the Motherland. We are proud of the heroism of our military and will continue to provide them with comprehensive assistance.”
Fores is a Russian company specializing in oil drilling equipment. The company had previously offered incentives for the destruction of Western tanks, with the first tank kill receiving 5 million rubles (US$48,000) and successive tanks receiving 500,000 rubles (US$ 5000).
Speaking at the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Sergey Shmotyev said, “We paid 5 million rubles for the first tank, 500 thousand rubles for the next ones. The reward goes to the fighters who defend the country.”
This time, however, the prize distribution may be uncanny for Kyiv.
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Ukraine has lost three F-16 fighter jets so far—in August 2024, in April 2025, and more recently, on May 16. While all these crashes were announced almost instantly, Ukraine has not admitted to losing an F-16 to Russian fire.
The first crash occurred just weeks after Ukraine received its first F-16 and claimed the life of the pilot. While the accident was initially attributed to a technical malfunction or pilot error, a Wall Street Journal report later floated the possibility of friendly fire from a Ukrainian Patriot missile defense system.
The second crash of an F-16 occurred in April 2025, killing the pilot again. Initially, several theories, including that of an air-to-air combat between Russia and Ukraine, as well as friendly fire, were floated. However, Russia later claimed that the F-16 was shot down by an air defense system.
The third crash has been attributed to an “unknown emergency.” Announcing the incident, the Ukrainian Air Force said the F-16 pilot destroyed three Russian aerial targets and was using an aircraft cannon to attack a fourth when an unknown emergency occurred and the Air Force lost contact with the pilot. It added that the pilot steered the plane away from the settlement over which it was flying and successfully ejected.
The service gave no information on the location or circumstances of the loss, leading to speculations that a Russian surface-to-air missile or friendly fire could have downed the aircraft.
Squadron Leader Vijainder K. Thakur (retd), told EurAsian Times at the time: “Getting shot down is an emergency, isn’t it?” Thus, hinting towards a possible Russian strike.”
While claims have since continued to swirl about Russian surface-to-air missiles downing the F-16, Ukraine has remained tight-lipped on the matter.
Ukraine’s F-16s Are No Game Changers
Ukraine was promised 85 operational F-16s, including 24 from the Netherlands, 19 from Denmark, and 12 from Norway (plus 10 more that will be used as spare parts), while Belgium has committed to providing 30.
Of these, some aircraft are being used to teach Ukrainian pilots, mostly at the European F-16 Training Center (EFTC) in Romania, and will not be shipped to Ukraine anytime soon. The US recently dispatched some airframes to Ukraine, but they are not operational and can only be used as spares, at best.
This means that Ukraine has a very small number of these advanced F-16 fighters in its fleet. The last time Ukraine secured the delivery of promised F-16s was in March this year. According to some estimates, it currently has anywhere between 10 and 14 F-16s.
The Ukrainian Air Force primarily uses the F-16 for air defense patrols. The aircraft has been used to intercept Russian aerial threats, including cruise missiles, drones, and fighter jets. These Western-origin aircraft have been crucial in thwarting major Russian attacks, mainly aimed at the country’s infrastructure. Earlier, a Ukrainian F-16 pilot claimed that over 80% of missiles launched by F-16s hit their targets, including drones and missiles.
However, they are no magic bullet for Ukraine, mainly because it cannot help Kyiv achieve air superiority, which is said to be decisive in combat.
The Ukrainian Air Force deploys the F-16s for combat missions, but their strikes are limited to the frontline, as Russia employs a cutting-edge S-400 air defense system that can neutralize the Fighting Falcons.
These fighters take routine reconnaissance missions during which the pilots map and identify Russian radar emissions based on the aircraft’s self-defense systems, which include the Terma electronic warfare management system. This information is then used to launch subsequent strikes. To target enemy radars and air defense systems, F-16s use the AGM-88 HARM missile. Unlike glide bombs, the HARM is a powered, high-speed weapon that accelerates to over Mach 2 within seconds of launch.
However, these missions often put the F-16 at significant risk. Moreover, the Ukrainian F-16 can be easily threatened by a Russian long-range missile fired in a standoff attack from the safety of the Russian airspace.
Speaking of the latest crash, the pro-Russian Sputnik News earlier wrote on X: “Ukrainian F-16s have turned into sitting ducks for Russia.”
The pro-Russian agency cited Russian military expert Andrey Krasnoperov as saying that the F-16s have become scrap metal due to Russia’s missile superiority, deployment along the frontline, and the switch for Ukrainian fighter pilots from Soviet-era jets to Western F-16s.
Nonetheless, the F-16s are the most sophisticated fighter jets in the Ukrainian arsenal and remain crucial, particularly because Russia has intensified its aerial strikes against Ukraine, and a ceasefire is not in sight.
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