‘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.

“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.

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.

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