Ukrainian F-16 pilot killed in action during large-scale Russian attack

First Class pilot Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustymenko has been killed in a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack against Ukraine using various types of missiles and attack UAVs on the night of 28-29 June 2025.

Source: Air Force of Ukraine

Quote: "Sadly, we have suffered another painful loss. Last night, while repelling a large-scale enemy air attack, First Class pilot Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustymenko, 32, was killed while flying an F-16 aircraft. The pilot used the full range of onboard weapons and shot down seven aerial targets.

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

Details: Russia launched over 500 aerial assets overnight.

The F-16s shot down dozens of Shahed drones.

Background:

• On 29 August 2024, several Western media outlets reported that an F-16 fighter jet had crashed in Ukraine on 26 August.
• Afterwards, the Air Force confirmed that pilot Oleksii Mes had been killed while repelling a large-scale Russian combined missile and aircraft strike.
• Ukraine’s military command considered various lines of inquiry into the F-16 crash, including pilot error and friendly fire from Ukrainian air defences.
• The military command has not yet released the results of the investigation into the death of the pilot.

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