Ukraine F-16 pilot killed repelling massive Russian air attack:

Ukraine F-16 pilot killed repelling massive Russian air attack:

 
Maksym Ustimenko’s aircraft shot down seven air targets before losing altitude and crashing, the air force says.

Firefighters at the site of an apartment building damaged during Russian drone and missile strikes in Smila, Cherkasy region, Ukraine
Firefighters work at the site of an apartment building damaged during Russian drone and missile strikes in Smila, Cherkasy region, Ukraine, June 29, 2025 [Handout/Press service of Ukrainian emergency service in Cherkasy via Reuters]

Ukraine has lost an F-16 aircraft and its pilot while repelling a Russian missile and drone strike, according to country’s air force, as heavy fighting in the war, now in its fourth year, grinds on daily with no signs of a ceasefire on the horizon.

After shooting down seven air targets, the plane was damaged and lost altitude overnight, the Ukrainian military said in a statement published on Telegram on Sunday.


“This night, while repelling a massive enemy air attack, a pilot of the 1st class, Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustimenko, born in 1993, died on an F-16 aircraft,” it said.

In a separate statement, the air force said Russia launched 537 projectiles against Ukraine, including Shahed drones, cruise and ballistic missiles. Ukraine claimed to have intercepted 475 of them.

According to the Kyiv Independent newspaper, the sound of explosions and strikes was reported in multiple areas across the country, including in southern Mykolaiv, southeastern Zaporizhia and western Lviv.

Residents stand in front of their apartment building damaged during Russian drone and missile strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Smila, Cherkasy region, Ukraine June 29, 2025. Press service of the National Police of Ukraine in Cherkasy region/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDIT.

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