Ukraine F-16 pilot killed in large-scale Russian attack, Zelenskiy calls for US help

A Ukrainian F-16 fighter pilot died in a crash while repelling a Russian air attack that involved hundreds of drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, authorities said on Sunday, as Moscow intensifies nighttime air barrages in the fourth year of war.President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised the pilot, Maksym Ustymenko, and bestowed upon him posthumously the title of Hero of Ukraine, the country's highest decoration.

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The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here.He also called for more support from Washington and Western allies to bolster Ukraine's air defences after the attack, which damaged homes and infrastructure across the country and injured atleast 12 people, according to local authorities

In Kyiv, families huddled in metro stations for shelter after air raid sirens rung out. Machine-gun fire and explosions were heard across the capital and in the western city of Lviv, where such attacks are less common.The governor of the Lviv region, bordering Poland, said the raid targeted critical infrastructure.Ukraine has now lost three F-16s since it began operating the U.S .-made jets last year. Kyiv has not revealed the size of its F-16 fleet, but they have become a central and heavily used part of Ukraine's defences.The pilot flew the damaged jet away from a settlement but had no time to eject before it crashed, the Ukrainian Air Force said