For Ukraine, this is one of the worst aerial attacks since the full-scale invasion by Russia began in February 2022. The intensity of the attacks have massively increased. During just one night, Russian forces fired more than 500 aerial weapons, including 477 drones, decoys, and 60 missiles. Ukraine’s airforce claimed to have successfully shot down or otherwise lost 475 of these targets.
The scale of the strike marks a major step up in violence. Most tragically, in this operation, a Ukrainian F-16 pilot, Maksym Ustymenko, gave his life to repel the attack. Extreme Courage According to the Ukrainian air force, Ustymenko exhibited extraordinary valor. He engaged all of his onboard weapons to great effect and shot down seven tracked enemy aircraft. Sadly, though, his jet was damaged during the engagement and he could not eject before the aircraft crashed.
“The pilot used all of his onboard weapons and shot down seven air targets. While shooting down the last one, his aircraft was damaged and began to lose altitude,” – Ukrainian air force.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a bold strategic move for Ukraine. Yet, just a few days later in March, he signed a decree formalizing his withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the production and deployment of anti-personnel mines. Ukraine ratified this convention back in 2005, but as Zelenskyy pointed out, the new geopolitical reality calls for this step to be taken. He noted that many other countries in our region have acted. Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have already pulled out or made clear their plans to withdraw.
“We take this political step and give a signal to our political partners on what to focus on. This concerns all countries that border Russia,” – President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy led condemnation of Russia’s use of anti-personnel mines and other, increasingly indiscriminate, weaponry. He characterized this tactic as cynical and intended to commit pervasive devastation. He remarked on the broader implications of such actions, stating:
“This is a hallmark of Russian killers. To destroy life by all means at their disposal … We see how our neighbours in Europe react to this threat,” – President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In a positive counterbalance, too, was the bad news that Sergey Naryshkin, Russia’s top intelligence officer, had a phone call with CIA Director John Ratcliffe. From what I’ve heard, the conversation was focused on challenges of common concern between the two countries. Naryshkin expressed an interest in keeping communication lines open in the future.
“I had a telephone conversation with my American counterpart, and we agreed to call each other at any time to discuss issues of mutual interest,” – Sergey Naryshkin.
Ukraine gets ready for more clashes as violence escalates. In a compelling act, President Zelenskyy has posthumously awarded pilot Maksym Ustymenko the title of Hero of Ukraine for extraordinary valor in defense. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is far from over as each country adapts their military tactics and diplomatic approaches.