Latest news with #MaksymUstimenko
Hans India
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Ukraine Deploys F-16s in Major Airstrike; NATO Responds with Jet Scramble
Russia news: The Ukrainian F-16 ultrasonic military jet and its pilot was destroyed on Sunday in the largest air Russia attacks Ukraine overnight, according to reports. The third loss to an F-16 fighter jet shot down during the conflict, according to the military's the news agency Reuters. The pilot Lt. Col. Maksym Ustimenko born in 1993 according to reports, was aiming air targets at the time he was shot down alongside the West-supplied plane. "The pilot utilized all his weapons onboard and was able to shoot down seven targets in the air. When he was shooting down the final one his aircraft was damaged, and began to lose altitude" The Air Force said on the Telegram messaging application. NATO has been forced to reshuffle Russia-Ukraine war following Russia employed 500 missiles to take down the F-16. "Due to the strike by Russian Federation Russian Federation carrying out strikes at objects within the Ukraine, the territory of Ukraine, Polish and allied aviation is now operating in our airspace" Poland's operational command stated in a post via X (formerly Twitter). "In compliance with guidelines, the Operational Commanding Officer of the Polish Armed Forces has activated all forces and assets that are at his disposal. Duty fighters have been scrambled and the air defense systems that are based on ground as well as radar-based reconnaissance equipment are in the most advanced state of readiness." the announcement read. "The measures are designed to protect those areas which border the threatened regions. It is the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces is keeping track of the situation at hand, as well as the troops and resources of the subordinate units are completely prepared for immediate action," the command stated. Russia overnight unleashed 537 drones at Ukraine including 477 drones, decoys and drones as well as 60 missiles the Ukrainian air force reported. Of the 537, 249 were shot down, and 226 were destroyed most likely because they were electronically blocked.
Al Jazeera
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,222
Here is how things stand on Monday, June 30: Fighting Russia launched its biggest aerial attack on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion overnight on Sunday, firing a total of 537 aerial weapons, including 477 drones and decoys and 60 missiles, according to the Ukrainian air force. Ukrainian forces intercepted 475 of the weapons, but the military said F-16 pilot Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustimenko was killed 'while repelling' the 'massive enemy air attack'. At least four others were also killed in the air raids, in Kherson, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Kostiantynivka regions, the Associated Press news agency reported, citing local officials. The aerial attacks were also far-reaching, targeting regions as far away as Lviv, in the far west, where a drone attack caused a large fire at an industrial facility in the city of Drohobych, and cut electricity to parts of the area. Poland said it scrambled aircraft, together with other NATO countries, to ensure the safety of Polish airspace during the attack. None of the Russian missiles entered Poland's airspace, the command said. In addition, two people were killed by Russian shelling, including a 70-year-old woman who was found under the rubble of a nine-storey building in the Zaporizhia region, AP reported. Russia's Defence Ministry said it intercepted three Ukrainian drones overnight, and claimed control of the village of Novoukrainka in the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk region. The RIA Novosti news agency said one person was killed by a Ukrainian drone in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Luhansk region, while the acting governor of Russia's Kursk said that two people were injured in a Ukrainian attack on the border region. Weapons Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the air attacks highlight the need for further support from the United States and Western allies to strengthen the country's air defences. He also signed a decree to pull Ukraine out of the Ottawa Convention banning the production and use of anti-personnel mines, saying Russia has never been a party to the treaty 'and is using anti-personnel mines with utmost cynicism'. Roman Kostenko, a senior Ukrainian lawmaker, said that parliamentary approval was still needed to withdraw from the treaty. He said legislators will hold a vote on the move. Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said the country has 'made the difficult but necessary political decision to stop the implementation of irrelevant obligations under the Ottawa Convention' because it has led to an 'asymmetric advantage' for Russia. Politics and diplomacy US Senator Lindsey Graham told ABC News that the country's Congress will begin voting on new Russian sanctions after President Donald Trump told him, 'It's time to move your bill.' Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television that European countries would feel the consequences of imposing harsher sanctions on Russia. 'The more serious the package of sanctions, which, I repeat, we consider illegal, the more serious will be the recoil from a gun to the shoulder. This is a double-edged sword,' he said. Russian spy chief Sergei Naryshkin said in remarks published on Sunday that he had spoken to the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Ratcliffe, and that they had agreed to call each other at any time.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine F-16 pilot killed repelling massive Russian air attack
Ukraine has lost an F-16 aircraft and its pilot while repelling a Russian missile and drone strike, according to country's air force, as heavy fighting in the war, now in its fourth year, grinds on daily with no signs of a ceasefire on the horizon. After shooting down seven air targets, the plane was damaged and lost altitude overnight, the Ukrainian military said in a statement published on Telegram on Sunday. 'This night, while repelling a massive enemy air attack, a pilot of the 1st class, Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustimenko, born in 1993, died on an F-16 aircraft,' it said. In a separate statement, the air force said Russia launched 537 projectiles against Ukraine, including Shahed drones, cruise and ballistic missiles. Ukraine claimed to have intercepted 475 of them. According to the Kyiv Independent newspaper, the sound of explosions and strikes was reported in multiple areas across the country, including in southern Mykolaiv, southeastern Zaporizhia and western Lviv. Ihor Taburets, the governor of central Ukraine's Cherkasy region, said at least six people were injured and civilian infrastructure was damaged in attacks. Three multistorey buildings and a college were damaged in the attack, he said. Industrial facilities were hit in the southern Ukrainian region of Mykolaiv and the central Dnipropetrovsk region, officials say. Local authorities published photos of high-rise residential buildings with charred walls and broken windows, and rescuers evacuating people. In Russia, the Ministry of Defence said its forces destroyed three Ukrainian drones in the border regions of Kursk and Rostov, and in Ukraine's annexed Crimean Peninsula. Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency said one person was killed by a Ukrainian drone in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Luhansk region. Moscow also claimed Sunday that it had taken control of the village of Novoukrainka in the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk region. The latest wave of violence comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he intended to scale back military expenditure and also indicated he was ready for a new round of peace negotiations with Ukraine. In the past months, Moscow and Kyiv have sent delegations twice to the Turkish city of Istanbul for peace talks, but have made no progress towards ending the conflict, which started after Russia invaded its neighbour more than three years ago. However, both sides agreed upon and showed cooperation on prisoners' swap. Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on Sunday setting Ukraine on the road to leaving the antimine Ottawa Convention, according to a document published on his website. The treaty bans signatories from acquiring, producing, stockpiling or using antipersonnel mines, which are designed to be buried or hidden on the ground, and often cause terrible injuries to victims, including the loss of limbs, who survive their impact. Rights groups have often decried the long-term risk of unexploded landmines for civilians. More than 160 countries and territories are signatories to the Ottawa Convention, though neither the United States nor Russia has joined. The decision still must be ratified by the Ukrainian parliament, and the United Nations would then need to be notified. Confronted with Russia's invasion, 'Ukraine is compelled to give unconditional priority to the security of its citizens and the defence of the state,' Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. 'Russia … uses mines against our military and civilians on a massive scale. We cannot remain bound by conditions when the enemy has no restrictions,' Ukrainian lawmaker Roman Kostenko said on social media. The treaty withdrawal follows similar decisions by Kyiv's allies – Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – which are all neighbours of Russia.
Al Jazeera
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Ukraine F-16 pilot killed repelling massive Russian air attack
Ukraine has lost an F-16 aircraft and its pilot while repelling a Russian missile and drone strike, according to the war-torn country's air force. After shooting down seven air targets, the plane was damaged and lost altitude overnight, the Ukrainian military said in a statement published on Telegram on Sunday. 'This night, while repelling a massive enemy air attack, a pilot of the 1st class, Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustimenko, born in 1993, died on an F-16 aircraft,' it said. In a separate statement, the air force said Russia launched 537 projectiles against Ukraine, including Shahed drones, cruise and ballistic missiles. Ukraine claimed to have intercepted 475 of them. According to the Kyiv Independent newspaper, the sound of explosions and strikes was reported in multiple areas across the country, including in southern Mykolaiv, southeastern Zaporizhia and western Lviv. Ihor Taburets, the governor of central Ukraine's Cherkasy region, said at least six people were injured and civilian infrastructure was damaged in attacks. Three multistorey buildings and a college were damaged in the attack, he said. Industrial facilities were hit in the southern Ukrainian region of Mykolaiv and the central Dnipropetrovsk region, officials say. Local authorities published photos of high-rise residential buildings with charred walls and broken windows, and rescuers evacuating people. In Russia, the Ministry of Defence said its forces destroyed three Ukrainian drones in the border regions of Kursk and Rostov, and in Ukraine's annexed Crimean Peninsula. The latest wave of violence comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he intended to scale back military expenditure and also indicated he was ready for a new round of peace negotiations with Ukraine. In the past months, Moscow and Kyiv have sent delegations twice to the Turkish city of Istanbul for peace talks, but have made no progress towards ending the conflict, which started after Russia invaded its neighbour more than three years ago. However, both sides agreed upon and showed cooperation on prisoners' swap.
New York Post
19 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Ukrainian F-16 pilot killed defending against biggest Russian barrage yet: ‘He died like a hero'
A Ukrainian Air Force pilot flying an American-made F-16 jet was shot out of the sky overnight as he defended his nation from the largest Russian drone and missile barrage of the war so far. Lt. Col. Maksym Ustimenko, 31, took off early Sunday after Russia fired a record 537 aerial weapons, including 477 drones and 60 missiles, Ukraine's air force said. Ustimenko was able to intercept seven targets before his F-16 Falcon was struck, leaving him with no time to eject, but just enough to aim the jet away from a residential area, officials said. This is the third F-16 to be downed since Ukraine took delivery of the warplanes in February. One jet was shot down last month, and another in April 2024 when repelling major Russian airstrikes. NATO members have pledged to provide more than 80 F-16s of to Ukraine, and they have been a key weapon to intercept Moscow's ever-escalating bombardments. 4 First Class Pilot Lt. Col. Maksym Ustymenko died intercepting Russian drones and missiles early Sunday. @Mariana_Betsa/X 4 Ukraine scrambled its American-made F-16 fighter jets in response to Russia's largest aerial attack of the war so far. Anadolu via Getty Images 'Maksym did everything he could to steer the aircraft away from a populated area,' the Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement. 'He died like a hero… Eternal flight, brother,' the military added. 'My condolences to his family and brothers-in-arms,' Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said. 'Ukrainian aviation is heroically protecting our skies. I am grateful to everyone who is defending Ukraine.' With the help of its F-16 pilots, Ukraine's air force was able to intercept 436 drones and 38 missiles, with the remaining projectiles and debris hitting eight locations across Ukraine. 4 Moscow fired more than 500 missiles and drones overnight, striking at least eight Ukrainian regions. Ukrainian State Emergency Service/AFP via Getty Images Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine's air force, described the Russian assault as 'the most massive air strike' the country has ever experienced. The scope of the attack was so large that it even caused Poland and other allied countries near the western border to scramble their aircraft in response, according to the country's Armed Forces Operational Command. '[Poland] activated all available forces and resources at his disposal, the duty fighter pairs have been scrambled and the ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have reached the highest state of readiness,' the agency said. 4 First responders arrive at a residential apartment building that was hit by a drone in Smila. via REUTERS Near the border in Ukraine's Lviv region, a drone strike caused a large-scale fire to break out at an industrial facility in Drohobych, which caused black outs across the city. Oleksandr Prokudin, the governor of Ukraine's Kherson region, said at least one person was killed by a drone strike. Cherkasy regional Gov. Ihor Taburets said at least six people were wounded in his municipality, including a child. Zelensky slammed the overnight assault, describing it as further escalation by Moscow's invading force and proof that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not committed to peace. 'Moscow will not stop as long as it has the capability to launch massive strikes,' he said in a statement. 'Just this week alone, there have been more than 114 missiles, over 1,270 drones, and nearly 1,100 glide bombs. 'Putin long ago decided he would keep waging war, despite the world's calls for peace. This war must be brought to an end — pressure on the aggressor is needed, and so is protection,' he added. With Post wires
