📍 Russia Unleashes Unprecedented Air Attack on Ukraine:
In what Ukrainian officials described as the largest aerial assault to date, Russia launched 537 air weapons overnight, including 477 drones and decoys, and 60 missiles across multiple Ukrainian regions, including western areas far from the frontline.
📍 Defense Successes and Losses:
Ukraine’s air force reported downing 249 aerial targets, while 226 were neutralized via electronic warfare. The missile barrage included four Kinzhal hypersonics, seven Iskander ballistic missiles, 41 Kh-101/Iskander-K cruise missiles, five Kalibr cruise missiles, and three S-300s.
📍 Tragic Loss of F-16 Pilot:
Ukrainian First Class pilot Lt. Col. Maksym Ustymenko (32) died heroically during the attack, after downing seven enemy targets. His F-16 was damaged while intercepting the final target. He steered the aircraft away from civilians but did not eject in time.
📍 EU Scrambles Jets:
In response to the massive air activity, Poland and other NATO-aligned nations scrambled warplanes to secure airspace amid fears of spillover.
📍 Drone Strikes on Crimea:
Ukraine’s SBU intelligence agency confirmed drone strikes on the Kirovske airfield in occupied Crimea, claiming destruction of Mi-8, Mi-26, Mi-28 helicopters, and a Pantsyr-S1 missile system.
📍 Civilians Affected:
One person died in Kherson; six were injured in Cherkasy, including a child.
📍 Diplomatic Contradictions:
Despite this escalation, President Putin claimed Friday that Moscow is ready for peace talks in Istanbul. But no progress has been made in previous negotiations, and recent prisoner swaps were the only outcome.
