The statement states that it is the third such loss of the F-16 combat aircraft in the war.
“The pilot used all the weapons that the plane has, knocking out the seven air goals. When the latter was damaged and he started to lose her height,” Vojno aviation via app to exchange the telegram message.
In the announcement, he states that the pilot did everything he could have walked you away from the settlement, but he did not have enough time for catapulting.
The military said Russia launched 477 drones and 60 projectiles of different types in Ukraine and that Ukrainian forces destroyed 211 drones and 38 missiles. Air attacks are recorded in six locations.
The pilot was killed, Colonel Maksym Ustymenko (31), Ukrainian Air Force said. “He was killed as a hero,” the aviation said, expressing his condolences to his family.
Attack during the night of 29 was one of the largest so far, with a total of 537 air goals – including cruising, ballistic and hypersonical projectiles and drones of the Šahed type – Ukrainian Air Force and Observation Groups.
The attack included:
- 477 assault drones and baits of cheated, launched from Russia and in occupied Crimea
- 4 Hypersonic rockets H-47m2 Kinzhal from the Tambov Region
- 7 ballistic missiles Iskander-M / KN-23 from the Voronezh region and Crimea
- 41 Cruise Rocket H-101 and Iskander-K from Saratov Region, Kursk and Bryansk
- 5 rockets calibr from the black sea
- 3 guided rockets S-300 from the region Kursk
“Ukrainian Estauch Defense – including combat aircraft, missile units, electronic warfare systems and mobile fire teams – was activated across the country. Until 8:30, 475 enemy goals were destroyed or neutralized, including:
- 211 Drones Šahed down, and an additional 225 hampered by electronic means
- 1 ballistic rocket iskander knocked down
- 33 Cruise missiles H-101 / Iskander-K downed, another neutralized electronic
- 4 rockets of the caliber knocked down
The remains of downed missiles and drones have fallen at least eight locations, and six regions said active air attacks, “the Ukrainian army announced.
Attack last 10 hours
The rocket attack lasted for almost three hours, while the dron attack lasted for almost ten hours. The target was numerous regions, including Kremenčuk, Poltava, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Zaporiž, Cherkasi, Lviv and Kiev.
Tens of explosions were reported in Kremenčuk – the city was affected and rockets and drones. In the Poltava region, an industrial plant was on fire. The production plant was damaged in the proceedings, but there were no casualties. In Cherkasses, three people were injured when the missiles hit civil infrastructure, they state local authorities, Hina transmitted.
In Lvovo, the targets were the objects of critical infrastructure, but according to officials there were no civilian casualties or greater damage to residential buildings. The explosions were heard in Kiev, where the air defense operated, but additional details were not published.
Ustymenko is the third Ukrainian pilot F-16 who was killed in the fight since Ukraine began using Western combat aircraft last year. The first was killed 26. Augusta 2024, when Colonel, “Moonfish” was killed in the F-16 fall during the interception of Russian missiles and drones. The second pilot, Paul Ivanov, was killed in a combat mission in April 2025.
(Vijesti.ba)
