First class pilot Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustymenko was killed while repelling night attack. He steered damaged F-16 away from populated area - Air Force. PHOTO

On the night of 29 June 2025, the Russian occupiers once again launched a massive missile and drone strike against Ukraine using various types of missiles and attack UAVs. In total, more than 500 air targets!

This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the press centre of the Air Force Command.

As noted, all available means of the Defence Forces, which can work on enemy air attack equipment, were used to repel the massive attack. Once again, the Air Force aviation, in particular F-16 aircraft, whose pilots destroyed dozens of "Shahed", performed productively. The work of Ukrainian fighters is extremely dangerous and risky, both when striking enemy ground targets and repelling air attacks. But despite all this, our pilots heroically perform combat missions, achieving maximum results.

"Unfortunately, today we have suffered another painful loss. Last night, while repelling a massive enemy air attack, Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustymenko, born in 1993, was killed in an F-16 aircraft. The pilot used the full range of onboard weapons and shot down seven air targets. During the last one, his aircraft was damaged and began to lose altitude. Maksym Ustymenko did his best to divert the aircraft away from the settlement, but he did not have time to eject... He died like a hero!" the Air Force said.

Massive attack on Ukraine on the night of 29 June

At night, Russian troops also attacked critical infrastructure in the Lviv region with missiles and drones. It was also reported that Russian troops attacked an enterprise in the Kremenchuk district of the Poltava region. In addition, the Russians attacked civilian infrastructure in the Cherkasy region with drones. There are victims there. Later, it became known that the enemy attacked Smila. Among the victims is a child, high-rise buildings and a college were damaged.

Censor.NET also reported that the occupiers launched a missile attack on a company in Zaporizhzhia. In Mykolaiv, an infrastructure facility was hit. In addition, the racists attacked the Ivano-Frankivsk region, and there are consequences in two communities.

According to the RMA, the alarm sounded for more than 5 hours last night in the Rivne region. There have been shootdowns of enemy air targets. According to preliminary information, people and infrastructure were not affected. The enemy also tried to attack the Kirovohrad region. Mobile fire groups were actively working in the sky over the region. The result is in. No consequences were recorded in the communities.

The Dnipropetrovsk region was under attack. According to the Joint Forces Operation, the defenders of the sky destroyed 12 enemy drones over the region. In addition, last night, the Russians again targeted the Nikopol district. Heavy artillery and an FPV drone were sent to the Marhanetska and Pokrovska communities. In the morning, a UAV struck the district centre. There were no casualties.