The Russian army has launched a new round of large-scale air strikes on many places in Ukraine

(Kiev/Moscow) Russia has launched a new round of large-scale air strikes in many areas of Ukraine, killing at least one person and injuring 12 others. An F-16 fighter jet of the Ukrainian Air Force crashed while resisting the attack, and the pilot on board was killed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the United States and European countries to put pressure on Russia.

The Ukrainian Air Force said on Sunday (June 29) that from the evening of June 28 to the early morning of June 29, the Russian army launched 477 drones from Kursk Oblast, Smolensk Oblast, Oryol Oblast and other places into Ukraine, among which more than 250 were attack drones. The Russian army also launched 60 missiles of various types, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, Iskander missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles and Kh-101 cruise missiles, from places such as Tambov Oblast, Voronezh Oblast, Saratov Oblast and the Black Sea waters.

As of 8:30 a.m. local time on the 29th, the Ukrainian Air Force, air defense forces, electronic warfare forces and unmanned systems forces had intercepted a total of 475 air targets, including 39 missiles. Six locations within Ukraine were attacked.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the West to provide more assistance to enhance Ukraine's air defense capabilities.

He posted on social media platform X on Sunday that this week alone, Russia has launched over 114 missiles, more than 1,270 drones and nearly 1,100 glider bombs at Ukraine.

He emphasized that Ukraine must enhance its air defense capabilities because "this is the most effective means to protect lives", and reaffirmed its willingness to purchase Patriot air defense missile systems from the United States.

He said, "This war must end - pressure must be exerted on the invaders and defense strengthened at the same time." We count on the leadership, political will and support of the United States, Europe and all our partners.

It is reported that the Lviv Oblast, Ivano-Frankovsk Oblast, Mykolaiv Oblast, Poltava Oblast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and Cherkasy Oblast of Ukraine were bombed by the Russian army.

The governor of Cherkasser Oblast, Tabrets, said that the Russian army's attack on the central region has left 11 people injured, including two children. He said that the attack also caused damage to three residential buildings and a university.

In the Ivano-Frankovsk region in the west, a woman was injured in an air strike and sent to hospital.

After an overnight air strike, a Russian drone hit a car in the Kharkiv region in northwestern Ukraine, killing a 60-year-old man.

In addition to civilian casualties, a Ukrainian F-16 fighter pilot was killed while resisting Russian air strikes. This is the third F-16 fighter jet lost by Ukraine since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war.

The Ukrainian Air Force said, "This pilot used all the weapons on board and shot down seven air targets." During the execution of another combat mission, its fighter jet was damaged and began to fall.

The Ukrainian side emphasized that the pilot made every effort to fly the fighter jet away from the residential area, resulting in no time for it to be ejected, and eventually died on the fighter jet.

The Russian Ministry of Defense later posted on the communication platform Telegram that the Russian army had used weapons such as drones and missiles to carry out large-scale air strikes on Ukraine, targeting Ukraine's military-industrial complexes and oil refineries, but did not provide further details. The statement also said, "All the predetermined targets were hit."

In addition, the Russian International News Agency reported on Sunday that in the Luhansk region occupied by the Russian army, a local town was attacked by a Ukrainian drone, resulting in one death.