Russo-Ukrainian war, day 918: Ukraine loses first F-16 jet, families of Ukrainian POWs protest near Red Cross
Ukraine deployed F-16 fighter jets in combat for the first time, losing one aircraft and a pilot during what it described as the the largest Russian air assault since the full-scale war began, while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged NATO allies to lift restrictions on long-range strikes into Russia with western-provided weapons, noting the hollowness of Russian “red lines” amid Kursk operation.