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Ukrainian F-16 Pilot Killed While Defending Against Record Russian Air Assault
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Ukrainian Air Force pilot Lt. Col. Maksym Ustymenko was killed during a nighttime combat sortie on June 29 while repelling one of the most extensive Russian air attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Ustymenko’s F-16 fighter jet was hit during the final stage of the operation after he had successfully engaged and downed seven aerial targets.
Despite sustaining damage to the aircraft, the pilot maneuvered the jet away from populated areas but was unable to eject in time.
Ustymenko, born in 1993 and holding the rank of first-class pilot, was conducting a defensive mission amid a large-scale Russian strike involving drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic weapons. His actions reportedly prevented further civilian casualties on the ground.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated: “I have instructed that all circumstances of Maksym Ustymenko’s death be thoroughly investigated. Today, he destroyed seven air targets. My condolences to his family and fellow servicemen.”
The crash marks the fourth confirmed loss of an F-16 in Ukrainian service and the third within the past three months. Three Ukrainian pilots have now died operating the aircraft during combat missions.
During the June 29 attack, Russian forces launched a record 537 air threats against Ukraine, including 477 Shahed-type drones and other UAVs, four Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles, seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles, 41 Kh-101/Iskander-K cruise missiles, five Kalibr missiles, and three S-300 surface-to-air missiles.
Ukraine’s air defense systems, including fighter aviation, surface-to-air missile units, electronic warfare teams, and mobile fire groups, neutralized 475 of those targets. According to the Air Force, 211 drones and 38 missiles were shot down, while 226 targets were suppressed or lost via electronic interference.
Strikes were reported in multiple regions, including Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Lviv, Cherkasy, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Dnipropetrovsk, with confirmed hits on energy infrastructure and civilian buildings.
Earlier, on April 12, Ukrainian F-16 pilot Captain Pavlo Ivanov was killed during a combat mission. The 26-year-old died while defending Ukraine, with an investigation into the incident ongoing. He was the second Ukrainian F-16 pilot confirmed killed in action after the August 2024 death of Oleksii Mes, who downed multiple targets before being shot down.
