Ukrainian Pilot Killed During Russian Airstrike
On June 29, 2025, during a massive combined assault, Russian forces launched a significant attack on Ukraine. During the engagement, one of the Russian air targets was successfully destroyed, but an F-16 fighter jet was damaged, causing it to crash. Pilot Maksym Ustimenko managed to steer the aircraft away from populated areas but was unable to eject in time and perished. Ustimenko had been training since his first year at the Kharkiv National Air Force University alongside pilot Andriy Pilshchykov, known as “Dzhus,” who died in August 2023 in a mid-air collision of two training aircraft, his mother, Liliya Averyanova, stated, reports 24brussels.
“He was the super-intellect of the group, an outstanding IT specialist. But he also had big, strong wings. Great responsibility. Great dedication to his cause. He was destined to become a Marshal of Aviation,” she wrote on her Facebook page.
Ustimenko’s wife, Yulia, posted a photo of Maksym along with her husband, highlighting that he leaves behind a four-year-old son.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has tasked authorities with investigating the circumstances surrounding Ustimenko’s death.
