Ukrainian air defense downs 12 out of 12 Russian drones in night attack on Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia
Russian forces attacked Ukraine on Monday with drones and missiles. Air defense forces downed 12 attack UAVs, the Air Force reports.
Colonel Yurii Ihnat, spokesperson for Air Force Command, stated on the air of the national telethon that the drones were directed from Yeisk, a city in the Krasnodar oblast in Russia, toward the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions in Ukraine's center and southeast.
"At first, nine attack UAVs were launched. Then the number increased. Soon, we will provide official information," he said, adding that "there may be also information about the Sumy region."
Initially, he said the air defense downed about 14 Shahed drones and one more UAV of an unknown type. The Russian occupiers also launched anti-radar missiles and Kh-59 missiles.
"These missiles are launched from Su-34 and Su-35 tactical aircraft," Ihnat added. "It is obvious that most of them did not achieve their goals. We will make the results public later."
Later, it was clarified that the Ukrainian air defense downed 12 out of 12 deadly drones. Anti-aircraft missile units, fighter aircraft, and mobile fire groups repelled the strike. Attack UAVs and one drone of an unknown type were shot down within Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Mykolaiv regions.
"The enemy also used tactical aviation in the Dnipropetrovsk region, launching Kh-31P anti-radar missiles and Kh-59 guided air missiles from Su-34/Su-35 aircraft. So far, there have been no losses. The information is being clarified," the Air Force said.
Today's attack was the second one in a row. On Sunday, the Russians launched 33 Shahed-136 drones toward the Kyiv region. Anti-aircraft defense downed 26. Four people were injured in the region due to the night attack.
Later, it was revealed that the wreckage of Russian UAVs fell in the Sviatoshynskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, and Podilskyi districts of the capital. An infrastructure facility was damaged in one of the districts. The blast wave in one of the region's districts damaged eight private houses, leading to broken windows, doors, chopped facades, and roofs.