A pilot of Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet died in a large-scale Russian air raid involving hundreds of missiles and drones, Ukrainian authorities reported on Sunday.
The death of airman, named as 1st Class Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustymenko, marked the third case of the killing of an F-16 pilot since the start of Russia’s full-fledged invasion in in February 2022, while his plane was the fourth F-16 Ukraine has lost since then.
The pilot “did everything he could to steer the aircraft away from a populated area, but he did not have time to eject,” Ukrainian Air Force said. Commenting on Ustymenko’s death, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the pilot destroyed seven targets before being killed, hailing the Ukrainian air force for “heroically protecting” the country’s skies. Zelenskiy stated that Russia launched 477 drones and 60 missiles across six Ukrainian regions, marking one of Russia’s largest air strikes, according to estimates. Overall, more than 114 missiles, 1,270 drones, and nearly 1,100 glide bombs were launched by Russia against Ukraine just this week, Zelenskiy added. Furthermore, Zelenskiy urged Western allies to place more pressure on Russia and also asked for more aerial defenses for his country.
It should be noted that Ukraine received first batch of US-made, fourth-generation F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands in 2024. The Netherlands has been training Ukraine’s F-16 pilots to help Kyiv repel Russian attacks.
Meanwhile, Zelenskiy on Sunday signed a decree to put Kyiv on track to leave the anti-landmine Ottawa Convention, according to a document published on a presidential website.
