Translated with AI
Kiev, June 29. On Saturday night, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched a large-scale combined air strike on targets in Ukraine. This was reported by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian side, the attack involved Tu-95MS strategic bombers and MiG-31K fighters, from which cruise and ballistic missiles were launched, and unmanned aerial vehicles of the Shahed type were also used.
The launches were recorded from the Savasleyka (Nizhny Novgorod Region) and Olenya (Kola Peninsula) airfields. In total, according to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, more than 500 targets were recorded in the country's airspace. The Air Force reported the destruction of 475 objects , including more than 200 drones and dozens of missiles .
During the repelling of a massive attack in the combat duty area , Lieutenant Colonel Maxim Ustimenko , a first-class pilot born in 1993, was killed. As specified in the Air Force report, he was piloting an F-16 fighter that participated in repelling the attack and managed to destroy seven enemy targets. During the final combat approach, his aircraft received critical damage. The pilot diverted the aircraft away from a residential area, but did not have time to eject , the official statement says.
Ustimenko became the third Ukrainian F-16 pilot to die during the current stage of hostilities. He was awarded a number of departmental awards during his lifetime and was considered one of the most trained pilots of the new generation.
According to the head of the Lviv regional military administration, Maksym Kozitsky, the strikes hit critical infrastructure facilities, destruction was recorded, but no civilian casualties were identified at the time of publication.
In the Cherkasy region, the city of Smela suffered from the strikes. According to the head of the regional military administration, Igor Taburets, six people were injured , including one child. Three nine-story residential buildings were damaged, as well as the Smela College of Food Technologies .
The attacks also affected the territories of Ternopil, Chernihiv, Poltava, Kiev, Odessa, Kharkov and other regions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed condolences to the family of the deceased pilot and called for an urgent strengthening of the country's air defense. He again appealed to Western allies for additional air defense systems, including Patriot , and an accelerated transfer of additional F-16 fighters.
The massive strike was the largest since the start of the invasion and coincided with an intensification of hostilities in eastern Ukraine. In recent weeks, there has been an increase in the number of missile and drone attacks, as well as an increase in the use of aviation in frontline and rear regions.
