Russian S-400 killed Ukraine’s F-16 fighter jet, Putin distributed reward to his troops

Russia-Ukraine War: More than three years have passed since the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Meanwhile, it has been revealed that the Russian air defense system S-400 has killed Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet. This news has tired America because it claims that F-16 is the most spectacular fighter jet in the world. Many countries of the world use this fighter aircraft, including Pakistan.

According to the report of Russian news agency TASS, the crew members of S-400 have also been rewarded for this. The 12 crew members who killed F-16 have been paid about 15 million rubles i.e. about 1,95,000 US $ 1,95,000. The reward distribution ceremony was held on 29 May.

S-400 crew members killed F-16 fighter jet

Vijayendra Thakur, former squadron leader of the Indian Air Force, estimated that the S-400 crew was involved in killing F-16 as no SU-35s pilot was included in the prize. This proves that this work cannot be done without any air defense support i.e. S-400.

The secret behind the accidents

The F-16 fighter aircraft of Ukraine have been victims of the accident in the last 9 months, which is as follows.

• August 2024: Just a few weeks before the accident, Ukraine got the first F-16. The possible cause behind the accident, technical disturbances or friendly fire from the Patriot system were considered.
• April 2025: Pilot dies. Initial reports were blamed for air confrontation and Russian air defense system S-400.
• May 2025: The pilot was attacking the fourth after destroying the three tares, when a sudden fighter jet malfunctioned, after which the pilot left the plane and saved his life.

In these three cases, one thing is the same that the Russian missile was not directly held responsible for any accident, causing both doubt and curiosity that it is not possible to happen without an air defense system.

What is the power of American F-16?

Ukraine has been promised to get 85 F-16 fighter jets from western countries, but most are still being used in training centers. According to estimates, Ukraine actively has only 10 to 14 F-14 aircraft. These aircraft are mainly deployed for air defense patrolling, reconnaissance missions and limited stand-off stripes. The most advanced weapon of F-16 is the AGM-88 HARM missile, capable of destroying the enemy’s radar system. However, these missions are very risky because high-range Russian air defense mechanisms like S-400 can track and engage these aircraft from big distances.

Isn’t F-16 game changer?

Pro-Russian analysts believe that the F-16 aircraft have become a burden due to new technology for Ukrainian pilots. Expert Andrey Krasnoperov said that sudden changes in western F-16 from Soviet era planes may be overwhelming for pilots. However, the reality is that F-16 is still the most advanced fighter aircraft in Ukraine and Ukraine has the only high-level retaliation with Ukraine in front of Russia’s ever-increasing aerial attacks.