Ukraine's air defense takes down Russian missile and 17 Shahed drones across five regions in nighttime attack
Photo: Telegram / Southern Defense Forces of Ukraine
In the Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, Khmelnytskyi, and Zhytomyr regions on the night of April 8, the Air Force of Ukraine's armed forces shot down 17 Russian Shahed UAVs. Debris from downed drones caused destruction in Odesa and Mykolaiv regions.
The Air Force of Ukraine's armed forces, the Defense Forces of the South, Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, and Vitaliy Kim, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, reported that on Telegram.
During the morning briefing on April 8, military officials announced that 17 Shahed drones had been successfully taken down.
"At night, the Russian occupiers attacked Ukraine again, using 24 UAVs of the "Shahed" type. 17 attack UAVs were destroyed by the forces and means of air defense of Ukraine," the General Staff reported in a statement.
As the Air Force said, the Russians launched the Kh-59 air missile from the airspace of the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region.
Shahed drones were launched by the enemy from Cape Chauda in Crimea, the Russian regions of Kursk and Yeisk.
"Fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units, mobile fire groups, and radio-electronic warfare equipment were involved in repelling the air attack," the defenders of the sky said.
As a result of anti-aircraft combat, the Defense Forces of Ukraine shot down:
- guided air missile Kh-59 in the Dnipropetrovsk region;
- Seventeen attack drones in the Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, Khmelnytskyi, and Zhytomyr regions.
Photo: Telegram / Air Force of Ukraine's armed forces
Щоб повністю закрити Україну - нам потрібно 25 систем Patriot по 6-8 батарей, - Зеленський
For reference:
On the evening of Sunday, April 7, the Russian aggressors once again sent out Shahed drones toward Ukraine. The drones targeted the southern, central, and northern regions.
According to the Southern Defense Forces, that night, the Russians sent several waves of Shahed-131/136 type attack UAVs to the southern regions.
The enemy had their sights on critical infrastructure.
In the morning, the Southern Ukrainian Defense Forces reported that they successfully destroyed seven barrage projectiles in their operational zone:
- four were shot down in Odesa,
- two in the Mykolaiv region,
- and one more in the Kirovohrad region.
The intense combat work of the Air Defense Forces lasted about three hours. The enemy targeted critical infrastructure.
However, the Odesa district was also hit by a strike that damaged a logistics and transport facility.
"Unfortunately, there was a hit in the Odesa district. A logistics and transport object was damaged. The consequences are being clarified. The debris from a downed drone also damaged a gas station. People were not injured," the message reads.
Two UAVs were shot down in the Mykolaiv region. In the Voznesensk district, the wreckage of the downed Shahed damaged power lines, resulting in 14 settlements partially lost power. Work is currently underway to restore the power supply. There are no casualties.
Another Shahed was shot down in the Kirovohrad region. There is currently no information about the destruction.
As reported, around 9:30 p.m., the Air Force reported an enemy missile in the direction of Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region. Later, the Eastern Air Command stated it was a Kh-59 guided air missile. It was destroyed in the Kryvyi Rih district.
Later, the occupiers launched attack drones from the south. At 11:12 p.m., the drones were in the Kherson region, moving northwesterly. Already at 11:30 p.m., the Air Force announced another group of drones – the occupiers launched the UAV in the direction of the Chernihiv region through the Sumy region.
At 12:32 a.m., new drones from the Black Sea made their way to Odesa. The Southern Defense Forces carried out combat operations against enemy targets simultaneously. At this time, Russian drones were spotted in the Chernihiv region headed towards the Kyiv region and the Mykolaiv region towards the Kirovohrad or Vinnytsia regions.
At 01:45 a.m., the Air Force of Ukraine's armed forces warned about the activity of enemy tactical aviation in the eastern direction. At the same time, a group of attack UAVs was moving toward the Rivne region. As of 02:29 a.m., the movement of strike UAVs was recorded from Khmelnytskyi in the direction of the Zhytomyr region.
At 03:05 a.m., the Air Force warned the Kharkiv region about a missile threat.
Later, at 01:31 a.m., according to the Kyiv Regional Military Administration, a UAV was spotted in the airspace. The air defense forces were responding to the threat.
It should be noted that on the night of April 7, Russian invaders attacked several regions of the country with 17 Shahed attack drones: the air defense forces managed to shoot down all enemy targets.
