"Friendly fire" from a Patriot missile battery is "unlikely" to have caused a US-made F-16 fighter jet to crash, the New York Times reports, as controversy over the cause of the downing of the plane continues to swirl. 

The New York Times backed up the official line that the plane probably crashed due to pilot error on August 31, citing two unnamed senior US military officials.

Ukraine's General Staff confirmed on August 29 that the F-16, which had been recently delivered to the country and was being operated by pilot Oleksii “Moonfish” Mes, crashed while defending against a mass Russian drone and missile barrage on August 26. Mes was killed in the crash.

However, as bne IntelliNews reported, the cause of the crash remains in debate after a Ukrainian lawmaker Maryana Bezuglaya claimed the plane had been shot down by a Ukrainian operated Patriot missile.

Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk stated that there is no secrecy surrounding the crash of the F-16 fighter jet and confirmed that an investigation is ongoing. No photos of the wreckage nor its location have been released to the public.

Oleshchuk added: “On August 26, 2024, the day of Russia’s most massive airstrike on Ukraine, we lost an experienced pilot, we lost an F-16 jet, but we did not lose humanity and faith in victory.”

 “We will find out the causes of the jet crash. No one is covering anything up or intending to do so! The top command received a prompt report on the disaster. US partners, who have already joined the investigation, also got a tentative report,” Oleshchuk added.

The Air Force commander emphasised that an in-depth analysis and comprehensive investigation are underway to determine all the details and circumstances surrounding the crash. According to Oleshchuk, information about such incidents cannot be promptly released to the public or detailed for the media as Ukraine is currently at war.

However, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed Oleshchuk from his position as Air Force Commander the day after the crash. Lieutenant General Anatoliy Kryvonozhko, previously the chief of Air Force Command Centre, has been appointed acting Air Force Commander.

In an evening address to the nation, Zelenskiy commented on Oleshchuk's dismissal: “I decided to replace the Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I am infinitely grateful to all our war pilots, maintenance engineers, soldiers from the mobile fire groups, air defence crews. To everyone who truly fights for Ukraine, for the result. And it is needed at the command level as well, we must strengthen. And protect people. Protect personnel, protect all our troops.”

Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustam Umerov said the decision to sack Oleshchuk as not connected to the F-16 crash.

"I would probably say this is a rotation," said Defence Minister Rustem Umerov. "This is two separate issues…at this stage, I would not connect them."

White House rejected a plan to send F-16 maintenance personnel to Ukraine, WSJ reported on August 30. Though the move has not been ruled out in the future, the Biden administration is hoping European countries will take partial or even full responsibility for maintaining Ukraine's recently-delivered F-16s.  

Of the six F-16s sent to Ukraine so far, out of a total of 80 that have been promised, all have come from Denmark and the rest will arrive exclusively from other European countries. The US does not plan to send Ukraine any of its own F-16s, despite having a large stock. 

"I'm sorry that the delivery of F-16s took so long. Personally, I was ready to hand them over to Ukraine from the very beginning of the war. But there was a long discussion about whether this was the right decision or not," Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen said during the conference GLOBSEC in Prague over the weekend. 

She did not specify who exactly slowed down the delivery of aircraft, but expressed her belief that the task still remains for Ukraine to receive all the weapons it needs from the West.

"It is impossible to win without weapons. And the only way to win is to give the Ukrainians what they need," she said.

She also confirmed that Denmark does not limit the use of F-16 fighters, which the country transferred to Ukraine.

"We do not put restrictions on the use of the F-16, only that it must be observed international law. Otherwise, there are no restrictions on use," she explained.