Ukraine registered on Saturday night and early Sunday morning a massive Russian air attack in which the Ukrainian Air Force shot down 475 systems launched by Russia, including drones, drone replicas and missiles, which left a civilian and an Air Force pilot dead and at least six wounded in the city of Smila, including a child, after a residential building was hit again.

Air defenses neutralized 475 enemy air attack systems, the Air Force said in its statement published on Telegram. In total, Russia launched 537 systems, of which 477 were Iranian-made Shahed drones - although also produced in Russia - or replicas, 57 ballistic missiles, and three anti-aircraft missiles. Of these, 249 were shot down and 226 were lost due to electronic warfare measures.

During defensive tasks, a Ukrainian F-16 pilot lost his life when his aircraft was damaged, the Air Force reported. The pilot made every effort to avoid the plane crashing in populated areas, but did not have time to eject.

In the central Ukrainian city of Smila, authorities reported six injuries, including a child, in an attack on a residential building using drones and missiles. In Kherson, one person died. Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for the Air Force, described the attack as the "most massive" ever launched against the country.

Putting pressure on the aggressor

The Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform reported that explosions also occurred in Lviv, in western Ukraine. The city council there said no civilian casualties were reported. Poland, meanwhile, given Lviv's proximity to the NATO country, deployed fighter jets to ensure the security of its airspace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the massive attack. “Almost all night, the alerts sounded across Ukraine,” the president said in a message on X (Twitter). “Tragically, while repelling the attack, our F-16 pilot, Maxim Ustimenko, died,” Zelensky added. about the soldier who lost his life in a defensive mission in which he managed to destroy seven aerial targets before dying.

“My condolences to his family and brothers in arms. I have ordered an investigation into all the circumstances of his death,” said the Ukrainian head of state, who denounced that the Russian regime's attack was directed against “everything that sustains life,” and added that “Moscow will not stop as long as it has the capacity to launch massive attacks.” Therefore, and taking into account that “Putin decided to continue waging war,” he called on the international community to “put pressure on the aggressor.”