A Ukrainian pilot was killed and his F-16 fighter jet crashed after Russia launched a massive aerial assault involving hundreds of drones and scores of missiles overnight, the Ukrainian military said on Sunday.
The attack, which involved 477 drones and 60 missiles launched against six different locations, is one of Russia’s largest ever aerial assaults in terms of weapons deployed. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the pilot who destroyed seven targets before being killed, but also called for more Western support to defend his country.
Zelensky said that Moscow has ramped up its airborne attacks against Ukraine in recent weeks, launching hundreds of drones and missiles nearly every night. The Ukrainian leader pleaded with Kyiv’s Western allies to provide more aerial defenses for his country, saying Russia will continue to attack Ukraine for as long as it can.
The Ukrainian air force downed 211 drones and 38 missiles launched by Moscow overnight, but the country is at risk of running out of missiles for its air defense systems. The US-made Patriot air defense systems, which are widely considered to be among the best, play a crucial role in Ukraine’s air defense, protecting millions of civilians from Russian missiles.
The Ukrainian government has announced that it will withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty, an international agreement that bans the use of anti-personnel landmines. The move is seen as a response to Russia’s extensive use of landmines in its own territory and comes despite warnings from human rights organizations.
Ukraine’s withdrawal from the treaty has been made possible by shipments of landmines approved by the US under the Biden Administration last November. However, the country’s decision to leave the pact raises concerns about the potential impact on civilians, particularly those living in areas heavily mined with landmines.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/29/europe/ukraine-f-16-pilot-killed-russia