Russia launched its biggest aerial attack on Ukraine overnight, part of an escalating bombing campaign that has dashed hopes for a ceasefire.
One of the F-16 warplanes Ukraine received from its western partners to help fight Russia’s invasion crashed after sustaining damage while shooting down air targets, killing the pilot.
Russia fired a total of 537 aerial weapons at Ukraine, including 477 drones and decoys and 60 missiles, Ukraine’s air force said.
Of these, 249 were shot down and 226 were lost, having likely been electronically jammed.
Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine’s air force, said the onslaught was ‘the most massive air strike’ on the country, taking into account both drones and various types of missiles.
The attack targeted regions across Ukraine, including western Ukraine, far from the frontline, and prompted NATO countries, including Poland, to scramble aircraft.
Kherson regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said one person died in a drone strike, and another was killed when a drone hit a car in the Kharkiv region, according to its governor, Oleh Syniehubov.
Six people were wounded in Cherkasy, including a child, according to regional governor Ihor Taburets.
In the Lviv region in the far west of Ukraine, a fire broke out at an industrial facility in the city of Drohobych after a drone attack, which also forced parts of the city to lose power.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said days ago that Moscow was ready for a fresh round of direct peace talks in Istanbul, but the war shows no signs of abating.
US-led international peace efforts have so far produced no breakthrough.
Two recent rounds of talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul were brief and yielded no progress on reaching a settlement.
Last night, German fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a Russian spy plane spotted over the Baltic Sea – the ninth time Germany has done so this year.
Days ago, it was revealed that Putin lost four warplanes worth £37 million each despite stepping up their defences after Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb.
A pair of Su-34 fighters were destroyed and two more damaged after an attack on on Marinovka military airfield in Volgograd.
Ukraine used long-range drones to fly more than 200 miles to inflict the latest £148 million blow to Putin’s aerial firepower.
It came less than a month after Russia supposedly tightened its military air base security after 40-plus strategic bombers and spy planes were hit in Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
