Russia launches record aerial attack on Ukraine

KYIV — Russia launched the largest aerial assault on Ukraine overnight since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, which added that one of its F-16 fighter jet pilots was killed in the attack.

In a statement on social media, the air force said Russia used 537 drones and missiles in the attack; 249 were shot down and the rest disappeared from the radar, the air force said.

The strikes targeted cities throughout Ukraine, including Mykolaiv in the south, Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, Kremenchuk in the central part of the country, and Lviv in the west. Businesses and civilian infrastructure were hit, and several people were injured, local authorities said.

Writing on social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted a child was hurt in an attack on Smila, a town in central Ukraine.

“This week alone, there were over 114 missiles, more than 1,270 drones and almost 1,110 guided air bombs,” he wrote. Russian President Vladimir Putin “decided long ago that he would continue to fight despite the world’s calls for peace.”

In the latest attacks, Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustymenko, a 32-year-old Ukrainian F-16 pilot, was killed after shooting down seven Russian aerial targets.

“While engaging the final target, his aircraft was damaged and began to lose altitude,” the air force said in a statement. “Maksym Ustymenko did everything he could to steer the aircraft away from a populated area but did not manage to eject in time.”

Ukraine lobbied the Biden administration hard for the F-16 fighter jets, which help protect Ukraine’s skies.

Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine despite talks between the two countries in Istanbul, which were supposed to lead to a ceasefire. However, the only outcome has been a series of prisoner exchanges. In the last couple of weeks, Russian drones and ballistic missiles have killed dozens of Ukrainians and injured hundreds more.

Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 20, Putin said “all of Ukraine is ours” in theory and that “wherever the foot of a Russian soldier steps is Russian land.”

Russian forces continue to slowly advance in Ukraine, despite Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s war machine, including its bomber fleet.