The latest news on Russia and Ukraine. A Ukrainian F-16 pilot was killed while defending against one of Russia's largest aerial attacks in recent months. The pilot, celebrated posthumously as a national hero, reportedly intercepted several targets before crashing.
- "The pilot used all of his onboard weapons and shot down seven air targets. While shooting down the last one, his aircraft was damaged and began to lose altitude," the Air Force said.
- "He mastered four types of aircraft and had important results to his name in defending Ukraine," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. "It is painful to lose such people."
The loss, reported on Sunday by authorities, marks another blow to Ukraine's air force, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renews calls for Western air defence support following widespread destruction and civilian injuries across multiple regions.
