Kyiv, 30 June

Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustymenko, a Ukrainian F-16 pilot, was killed early Sunday while intercepting Russia’s biggest air assault since the war began, Reuters reported. Ustymenko shot down seven drones and missiles before his jet was damaged. He steered the crashing aircraft away from residential areas but had no time to eject, sacrificing himself to protect civilians. The massive attack involved 537 Russian drones and missiles, the largest single-night barrage in over three years of war. Ukraine intercepted 211 drones and 38 missiles, but 226 were lost to electronic jamming or decoys. The strikes injured at least 12 civilians, including children, and damaged homes, schools, and industrial sites in six regions. In Cherkasy, missiles hit apartments and a college, forcing evacuations, while Lviv experienced power outages after drones hit an industrial facility. President Zelenskyy posthumously awarded Ustymenko Ukraine’s highest honor, calling him a hero who had defended Ukraine since 2014. Meanwhile, Russia claimed it captured Novoukrainka village in Donetsk and downed Ukrainian drones in border areas. As Kyiv mourns its third F-16 loss since August 2024, experts say these jets are less effective against swarms of cheap drones than against fast-moving targets.