MOSCOW: Russia conducted its largest air assault on Ukraine to date, using drones and missiles. During the attempt to intercept the attack, a Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet was also shot down and destroyed.
According to U.S. media citing Ukrainian military sources, Russia employed a total of 537 drones and missiles in this assault. Of these, 249 drones and missiles were shot down, while the rest went undetected by radar.
Ukrainian forces reported that multiple cities were targeted in the attack, resulting in damage to critical civilian infrastructure and injuries to several individuals.
During the interception of the Russian attack, a Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet was shot down, leading to the death of the pilot. The Ukrainian military stated that the pilot successfully targeted seven Russian aerial objectives during the operation, but the aircraft was destroyed while attempting to strike the final target.
According to foreign news agencies, Ukraine began using American-made F-16 fighter jets last year, and so far, three of these aircraft have been lost. It remains unclear how many F-16s Ukraine currently possesses.
