Russia Launches Largest Airstrike On Ukraine Since 2022, Kyiv Says; F-16 Pilot Killed

Russia launched its largest aerial attack on Ukraine since February 2022, firing 537 weapons, including drones and missiles, targeting regions across the country.

Image used for representation.

Source : PTI

A Ukrainian official said on Sunday that Russia launched its biggest aerial attack against Ukraine overnight, reports AP. The recent attack is part of an escalating bombing campaign that has further dashed the hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the war.

According to the report quoting the air force of Ukraine, Russia fired a total of 537 aerial weapons at Ukraine, including 477 drones and decoys and 60 missiles. Out of these, 249 were shot down and 226 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed.

The onslaught was “the most massive airstrike” on the country since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, taking into account both drones and various types of missiles, Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine’s air force, told The Associated Press. The attack targeted several regions, including the western Ukraine, far from the front line.

The air force of Ukraine also said that Poland and allied countries scrambled aircraft to ensure the safety of the Polish airspace.

In the drone attack, one person died in the Kherson region, Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said, while another was killed when a drone hit a car in the Kharkiv region, according to its Gov. Oleh Syniehubov. Six people were wounded in Cherkasy, including a child, according to regional Gov. Ihor Taburets.

The Ukrainian air force also said that one of its F-16 warplanes supplied by its Western partners crashed after sustaining damage while shooting down air targets. The pilot died. The recent attack follows the comments of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday that Moscow is ready for a fresh round of direct peace talks in Istanbul. Recently, two rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul, and they yielded no progress on reaching a settlement.

(With inputs from AP.)