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Miami Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
What F-16 Loss Means For Ukraine's Air Power
Ukraine's air force on Sunday confirmed that a third Ukrainian F-16 fighter pilot had been killed in action, a unwelcome blow for a military with a limited number of fourth-generation Western jets and a small pool of pilots trained to fly them. Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustimenko intercepted seven incoming Russian air targets in his F-16 jet before his aircraft was damaged and started to lose altitude, Ukraine's air force said in a statement on Sunday. He is the third known F-16 pilot to be killed while operating the U.S.-made aircraft, which Ukraine has been using for little under a year. Kyiv had long clamored for donations of the Lockheed Martin-manufactured F-16s to boost its Soviet-era aircraft while staring down Russia's more advanced - and much more numerous - fleet that has taken far fewer hits in the war than Moscow's land forces. But Kyiv has not yet received all of the aircraft promised to its military, and fully-trained pilots are in short supply, despite intensive rounds of training abroad. "With such intense fighting, losses are to be expected," an official with Ukraine's air force, Colonel Yuriy Ignat, said during an interview with the country's Ukrainska Pravda outlet, published in early June. Losing aircraft is "always part of air warfare, and while individual cases should never be decisive, attrition hurts," said Frederik Mertens, a strategic analyst with Dutch think tank, TNO. Losing pilots is also a painful prospect, he told Newsweek. In late August, just weeks after Kyiv confirmed it was operating the first of its donated jets, Ukraine said Oleksiy Mes - a famed pilot also known by his call sign, Moonfish - had died while "repelling a massive Russian combined air and missile attack." A second F-16 was shot down over the northeastern Sumy region in mid-April this year, killing its 26-year-old pilot, Pavlo Ivanov. The following month, the air force said it had lost communication with an F-16 intercepting Russian attacks, but that the pilot had managed to eject from the aircraft. Search and rescue teams quickly located and evacuated the pilot, the military said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday he had ordered a full investigation into Ustimenko's death. Ustimenko "mastered four types of aircraft, and his record includes truly significant achievements for Ukraine," the Ukrainian leader said in his evening address. All three Ukrainian F-16 pilots killed while operating the jets were posthumously made Heroes of Ukraine, the country's highest honor. Kyiv's military reported in the early hours of Sunday that Russia had launched hundreds of drones and decoys at the country overnight, as well as various different types of missiles. Ignat told Newsweek it was the highest number of aerial threats recorded since the start of the full-scale war in February 2022. Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement it had launched a "massive strike with high-precision long-range air, sea and land-based weapons," including Kinzhal missiles, targeting Ukraine's military industry and the country's oil refineries. Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said Moscow had "struck energy facilities, infrastructure, and residential areas." Ukraine has repeatedly used its F-16 fighter jets, as well French-made Mirage 2000 aircraft Kyiv received in early 2025, to intercept Russian attacks on the country. "This loss and earlier losses clearly point at the dangers of intercepting low-flying targets at close range with low-flying aircraft," Mertens said, adding the drive to "do the utmost and take serious risks" when in the air can be especially strong when trying to shield civilians and residential buildings. It's not clear exactly how many of the approximately 85 F-16s committed by Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium are now being used by Ukraine. Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's defense minister, said in February that Denmark had "already delivered most of the promised F-16s, with the remaining ones to arrive soon." Umerov's Danish counterpart, Troels Lund Poulsen, said shortly after that Copenhagen had transferred 12 out of the 19 jets it had promised Ukraine. It's not immediately apparent whether the remaining seven jets have been delivered. Newsweek has reached out to the Danish Defense Ministry for comment via email. The Dutch defense ministry said in late May that the last of its 24 pledged F-16s had left the country, bound for Ukraine. Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik told the country's state-run NRK broadcaster in mid-May that Oslo would finish transferring F-16s to Ukraine by the end of 2025, but refused to confirm how many jets had already been donated. Norway has officially confirmed it will send six F-16s by the end of 2025. Newsweek has contacted the Norwegian Defense Ministry for comment via email. Then-Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib told domestic broadcaster RTL in May 2024 that Belgium would deliver 30 F-16s to Ukraine by 2028. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said in March this year that the F-16 transfers to Ukraine were on hold until 2026, a delay blamed on hiccups to the delivery of Brussels' replacement F-35 fifth-generation jets. Standing next to Zelensky during a press conference in April in the Ukrainian capital, the Belgian prime minister said Brussels would send two F-16s for spare parts in 2025 and two more aircraft the following year. Belgium's current defense minister, Theo Francken, said in May Brussels "would try to deliver the aircraft even earlier," according to remarks reported by the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty outlet. The Belgian Defense Ministry has been approached for comment. 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Newsweek
2 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
What F-16 Loss Means For Ukraine's Air Power
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Ukraine's air force on Sunday confirmed that a third Ukrainian F-16 fighter pilot had been killed in action, a unwelcome blow for a military with a limited number of fourth-generation Western jets and a small pool of pilots trained to fly them. Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustimenko intercepted seven incoming Russian air targets in his F-16 jet before his aircraft was damaged and started to lose altitude, Ukraine's air force said in a statement on Sunday. He is the third known F-16 pilot to be killed while operating the U.S.-made aircraft, which Ukraine has been using for little under a year. Kyiv had long clamored for donations of the Lockheed Martin-manufactured F-16s to boost its Soviet-era aircraft while staring down Russia's more advanced — and much more numerous — fleet that has taken far fewer hits in the war than Moscow's land forces. Ukrainian Air Force F-16 fighter jets fly over an undisclosed location in Ukraine on August 4, 2024. Ukrainian Air Force F-16 fighter jets fly over an undisclosed location in Ukraine on August 4, 2024. AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky But Kyiv has not yet received all of the aircraft promised to its military, and fully-trained pilots are in short supply, despite intensive rounds of training abroad. "With such intense fighting, losses are to be expected," an official with Ukraine's air force, Colonel Yuriy Ignat, said during an interview with the country's Ukrainska Pravda outlet, published in early June. Losing aircraft is "always part of air warfare, and while individual cases should never be decisive, attrition hurts," said Frederik Mertens, a strategic analyst with Dutch think tank, TNO. Losing pilots is also a painful prospect, he told Newsweek. In late August, just weeks after Kyiv confirmed it was operating the first of its donated jets, Ukraine said Oleksiy Mes — a famed pilot also known by his call sign, Moonfish — had died while "repelling a massive Russian combined air and missile attack." A second F-16 was shot down over the northeastern Sumy region in mid-April this year, killing its 26-year-old pilot, Pavlo Ivanov. The following month, the air force said it had lost communication with an F-16 intercepting Russian attacks, but that the pilot had managed to eject from the aircraft. Search and rescue teams quickly located and evacuated the pilot, the military said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday he had ordered a full investigation into Ustimenko's death. Ustimenko "mastered four types of aircraft, and his record includes truly significant achievements for Ukraine," the Ukrainian leader said in his evening address. All three Ukrainian F-16 pilots killed while operating the jets were posthumously made Heroes of Ukraine, the country's highest honor. Kyiv's military reported in the early hours of Sunday that Russia had launched hundreds of drones and decoys at the country overnight, as well as various different types of missiles. Ignat told Newsweek it was the highest number of aerial threats recorded since the start of the full-scale war in February 2022. Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement it had launched a "massive strike with high-precision long-range air, sea and land-based weapons," including Kinzhal missiles, targeting Ukraine's military industry and the country's oil refineries. Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said Moscow had "struck energy facilities, infrastructure, and residential areas." Ukraine has repeatedly used its F-16 fighter jets, as well French-made Mirage 2000 aircraft Kyiv received in early 2025, to intercept Russian attacks on the country. "This loss and earlier losses clearly point at the dangers of intercepting low-flying targets at close range with low-flying aircraft," Mertens said, adding the drive to "do the utmost and take serious risks" when in the air can be especially strong when trying to shield civilians and residential buildings. It's not clear exactly how many of the approximately 85 F-16s committed by Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium are now being used by Ukraine. Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's defense minister, said in February that Denmark had "already delivered most of the promised F-16s, with the remaining ones to arrive soon." Umerov's Danish counterpart, Troels Lund Poulsen, said shortly after that Copenhagen had transferred 12 out of the 19 jets it had promised Ukraine. It's not immediately apparent whether the remaining seven jets have been delivered. Newsweek has reached out to the Danish Defense Ministry for comment via email. The Dutch defense ministry said in late May that the last of its 24 pledged F-16s had left the country, bound for Ukraine. Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik told the country's state-run NRK broadcaster in mid-May that Oslo would finish transferring F-16s to Ukraine by the end of 2025, but refused to confirm how many jets had already been donated. Norway has officially confirmed it will send six F-16s by the end of 2025. Newsweek has contacted the Norwegian Defense Ministry for comment via email. Then-Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib told domestic broadcaster RTL in May 2024 that Belgium would deliver 30 F-16s to Ukraine by 2028. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said in March this year that the F-16 transfers to Ukraine were on hold until 2026, a delay blamed on hiccups to the delivery of Brussels' replacement F-35 fifth-generation jets. Standing next to Zelensky during a press conference in April in the Ukrainian capital, the Belgian prime minister said Brussels would send two F-16s for spare parts in 2025 and two more aircraft the following year. Belgium's current defense minister, Theo Francken, said in May Brussels "would try to deliver the aircraft even earlier," according to remarks reported by the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty outlet. The Belgian Defense Ministry has been approached for comment.
Hans India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Ukraine Deploys F-16s in Major Airstrike; NATO Responds with Jet Scramble
Russia news: The Ukrainian F-16 ultrasonic military jet and its pilot was destroyed on Sunday in the largest air Russia attacks Ukraine overnight, according to reports. The third loss to an F-16 fighter jet shot down during the conflict, according to the military's the news agency Reuters. The pilot Lt. Col. Maksym Ustimenko born in 1993 according to reports, was aiming air targets at the time he was shot down alongside the West-supplied plane. "The pilot utilized all his weapons onboard and was able to shoot down seven targets in the air. When he was shooting down the final one his aircraft was damaged, and began to lose altitude" The Air Force said on the Telegram messaging application. NATO has been forced to reshuffle Russia-Ukraine war following Russia employed 500 missiles to take down the F-16. "Due to the strike by Russian Federation Russian Federation carrying out strikes at objects within the Ukraine, the territory of Ukraine, Polish and allied aviation is now operating in our airspace" Poland's operational command stated in a post via X (formerly Twitter). "In compliance with guidelines, the Operational Commanding Officer of the Polish Armed Forces has activated all forces and assets that are at his disposal. Duty fighters have been scrambled and the air defense systems that are based on ground as well as radar-based reconnaissance equipment are in the most advanced state of readiness." the announcement read. "The measures are designed to protect those areas which border the threatened regions. It is the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces is keeping track of the situation at hand, as well as the troops and resources of the subordinate units are completely prepared for immediate action," the command stated. Russia overnight unleashed 537 drones at Ukraine including 477 drones, decoys and drones as well as 60 missiles the Ukrainian air force reported. Of the 537, 249 were shot down, and 226 were destroyed most likely because they were electronically blocked.
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,222
Here is how things stand on Monday, June 30: Fighting Russia launched its biggest aerial attack on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion overnight on Sunday, firing a total of 537 aerial weapons, including 477 drones and decoys and 60 missiles, according to the Ukrainian air force. Ukrainian forces intercepted 475 of the weapons, but the military said F-16 pilot Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustimenko was killed 'while repelling' the 'massive enemy air attack'. At least four others were also killed in the air raids, in Kherson, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Kostiantynivka regions, the Associated Press news agency reported, citing local officials. The aerial attacks were also far-reaching, targeting regions as far away as Lviv, in the far west, where a drone attack caused a large fire at an industrial facility in the city of Drohobych, and cut electricity to parts of the area. Poland said it scrambled aircraft, together with other NATO countries, to ensure the safety of Polish airspace during the attack. None of the Russian missiles entered Poland's airspace, the command said. In addition, two people were killed by Russian shelling, including a 70-year-old woman who was found under the rubble of a nine-storey building in the Zaporizhia region, AP reported. Russia's Defence Ministry said it intercepted three Ukrainian drones overnight, and claimed control of the village of Novoukrainka in the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk region. The RIA Novosti news agency said one person was killed by a Ukrainian drone in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Luhansk region, while the acting governor of Russia's Kursk said that two people were injured in a Ukrainian attack on the border region. Weapons Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the air attacks highlight the need for further support from the United States and Western allies to strengthen the country's air defences. He also signed a decree to pull Ukraine out of the Ottawa Convention banning the production and use of anti-personnel mines, saying Russia has never been a party to the treaty 'and is using anti-personnel mines with utmost cynicism'. Roman Kostenko, a senior Ukrainian lawmaker, said that parliamentary approval was still needed to withdraw from the treaty. He said legislators will hold a vote on the move. Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said the country has 'made the difficult but necessary political decision to stop the implementation of irrelevant obligations under the Ottawa Convention' because it has led to an 'asymmetric advantage' for Russia. Politics and diplomacy US Senator Lindsey Graham told ABC News that the country's Congress will begin voting on new Russian sanctions after President Donald Trump told him, 'It's time to move your bill.' Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television that European countries would feel the consequences of imposing harsher sanctions on Russia. 'The more serious the package of sanctions, which, I repeat, we consider illegal, the more serious will be the recoil from a gun to the shoulder. This is a double-edged sword,' he said. Russian spy chief Sergei Naryshkin said in remarks published on Sunday that he had spoken to the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Ratcliffe, and that they had agreed to call each other at any time.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine F-16 pilot killed repelling massive Russian air attack
Ukraine has lost an F-16 aircraft and its pilot while repelling a Russian missile and drone strike, according to country's air force, as heavy fighting in the war, now in its fourth year, grinds on daily with no signs of a ceasefire on the horizon. After shooting down seven air targets, the plane was damaged and lost altitude overnight, the Ukrainian military said in a statement published on Telegram on Sunday. 'This night, while repelling a massive enemy air attack, a pilot of the 1st class, Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustimenko, born in 1993, died on an F-16 aircraft,' it said. In a separate statement, the air force said Russia launched 537 projectiles against Ukraine, including Shahed drones, cruise and ballistic missiles. Ukraine claimed to have intercepted 475 of them. According to the Kyiv Independent newspaper, the sound of explosions and strikes was reported in multiple areas across the country, including in southern Mykolaiv, southeastern Zaporizhia and western Lviv. Ihor Taburets, the governor of central Ukraine's Cherkasy region, said at least six people were injured and civilian infrastructure was damaged in attacks. Three multistorey buildings and a college were damaged in the attack, he said. Industrial facilities were hit in the southern Ukrainian region of Mykolaiv and the central Dnipropetrovsk region, officials say. Local authorities published photos of high-rise residential buildings with charred walls and broken windows, and rescuers evacuating people. In Russia, the Ministry of Defence said its forces destroyed three Ukrainian drones in the border regions of Kursk and Rostov, and in Ukraine's annexed Crimean Peninsula. Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency said one person was killed by a Ukrainian drone in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Luhansk region. Moscow also claimed Sunday that it had taken control of the village of Novoukrainka in the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk region. The latest wave of violence comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he intended to scale back military expenditure and also indicated he was ready for a new round of peace negotiations with Ukraine. In the past months, Moscow and Kyiv have sent delegations twice to the Turkish city of Istanbul for peace talks, but have made no progress towards ending the conflict, which started after Russia invaded its neighbour more than three years ago. However, both sides agreed upon and showed cooperation on prisoners' swap. Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on Sunday setting Ukraine on the road to leaving the antimine Ottawa Convention, according to a document published on his website. The treaty bans signatories from acquiring, producing, stockpiling or using antipersonnel mines, which are designed to be buried or hidden on the ground, and often cause terrible injuries to victims, including the loss of limbs, who survive their impact. Rights groups have often decried the long-term risk of unexploded landmines for civilians. More than 160 countries and territories are signatories to the Ottawa Convention, though neither the United States nor Russia has joined. The decision still must be ratified by the Ukrainian parliament, and the United Nations would then need to be notified. Confronted with Russia's invasion, 'Ukraine is compelled to give unconditional priority to the security of its citizens and the defence of the state,' Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. 'Russia … uses mines against our military and civilians on a massive scale. We cannot remain bound by conditions when the enemy has no restrictions,' Ukrainian lawmaker Roman Kostenko said on social media. The treaty withdrawal follows similar decisions by Kyiv's allies – Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – which are all neighbours of Russia.
