Zelenskyy Acts To Quit Global Anti-Landmine Pact, Honors Pilot As Ukraine Recovers From Massive Air Attack

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service June 30, 2025

KYIV -- As Russia continued its relentless attack on Ukrainian cities -- which saw the launch of more than 500 missiles and drones -- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree to withdraw his country from a global anti-landmine pact and honored a pilot who was killed in action.

Zelenskyy on June 29 signed a decree to pull Ukraine out of the Ottawa Convention, which bans the use of anti-personnel mines. Zelenskyy has long cited Russia's use of the deadly mines for Ukraine's desire to exit the pact, which has been signed by more than 160 countries but not Russia or the United States.

The Kremlin "is extremely cynical in its use of anti-personnel mines," Zelenskyy said. "This is the trademark of Russian killers -- to destroy life by any means at their disposal."

To enter into force, the action must be ratified by the Ukrainian parliament and notification given to the UN.

Separately, Zelenskyy honored 32-year-old Ukrainian F-16 pilot Maksym Ustymenko -- who was killed in action -- with the country's highest decoration, while authorities provided more information about his fate.

"I have just signed a decree awarding the title of Hero of Ukraine to Maksym Ustymenko -- a Ukrainian pilot and one of our very best. Sadly, the award is posthumous," Zelenskyy said.

"He was killed while defending our skies, defending our people from yet another massive Russian attack -- more than 500 strike drones and missiles were launched just last night alone, most of which were shot down."

The Ukrainian military has now lost three F-16s since last year, when it began deploying the US-made warplanes, saying they are crucial to the country's defense against Russian air strikes. It is not known how many F-16s Ukraine has in total.

The Air Force said Ustymenko was able to fly the ailing jet away from civilian areas but was unable to eject before crashing.

"The pilot used the entire array of onboard weapons and shot down seven air targets," the Air Force said on Telegram.

"His plane was damaged and began to lose altitude. Maksym Ustymenko did everything possible, flew the aircraft away from a settlement but did not have time to eject."

Zelenskyy reiterated calls on Ukraine's Western allies for continued support for Kyiv to help defend itself against the Russian attacks.

"Ukraine needs to strengthen its air defense -- the thing that best protects lives. These are American systems, which we are ready to buy. We count on leadership, political will, and the support of the United States, Europe, and all our partners," he wrote on social media.

Those comments came after Russian forces launched more than 500 aerial weapons at Ukraine overnight on June 28-29, described by Kyiv as the biggest air strike on the country since the war began.

"Almost all night long, air raid alerts sounded across Ukraine -- 477 drones were in our skies, most of them Russian-Iranian Shaheds, along with 60 missiles of various types," Zelenskyy said in a social media post.

The attack prompted Poland and allied countries to scramble aircraft to ensure the safety of Polish airspace, the Polish military said on June 29.

With reporting by Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-landmine- pilot-russia-ukraine-drone/33458519.html

NEWSLETTER

Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Zelenskyy Acts To Quit Global Anti-Landmine Pact, Honors Pilot As Ukraine Recovers From Massive Air Attack