The Russian Defense Ministry announced on June 29 that overnight “the Russian armed forces delivered a mass strike by air-, ground-, and sea-based long-range precision weapons, Kinzhal hypersonic ballistic missile systems, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles, at Ukrainian defense industry [plants] and oil refineries.”
According to accounts in the Western media, this was the largest air attack of the war, and coincided with further Russian advances on land in the Donetsk Region. Financial Times reported: “Ukraine’s air force said Russia had fired a staggering 537 aerial weapons in a single overnight barrage that began late on Saturday, including 477 explosive drones and decoys and 60 missiles of various types. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 211 drones and 38 missiles.” FT added that “Ukraine’s air force said one of its F-16 pilots, Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustymenko, was killed after his aircraft sustained damage while downing seven aerial targets.”
