Ukraine announced yesterday that it was the target of a “massive” drone attack by Russia, involving approximately 40 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), more than half of which were shot down. Meanwhile, Moscow reported that its air defense systems brought down a Ukrainian drone over the Belgorod region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared through the Telegram app: “Moscow dispatched around 40 drones, and more than half were shot down,” confirming that they left “marks” on the ground.
Zelenskyy added that the Russian drones targeted ten Ukrainian regions, including frontline areas such as Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, as well as the capital, Kyiv, and Lviv in the west. The Ukrainian president also assured that the attack resulted in no casualties. However, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported that an educational institution’s building suffered “significant damage” due to the attack, and electricity was cut off in one of the city’s neighborhoods for repair work.
Other drones reportedly struck a fuel station, a building housing displaced persons, and residential structures. Officials from other Ukrainian regions spoke of damage to facilities and buildings within their jurisdictions. Ukrainian military spokesperson Nataliya Humenyuk described the situation as “difficult and tense” on the southern front, also noting the “strong” Russian drone attack.
On the other hand, the Russian Ministry of Defense declared yesterday that its air defense systems had downed a Ukrainian drone over the Belgorod region.
The ministry stated, “At 07:10 Moscow time, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using a drone against targets in Russia was thwarted, where the on-duty air defense systems shot down the Ukrainian drone over the Belgorod region.” The statement from the Russian Defense Ministry also included that a command and control center for the 67th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the town of Serebryanka in the Donetsk People’s Republic had been targeted.
TASS, the Russian news agency, conveyed that the Russian air defenses had also downed five Ukrainian drones over the Crimean Peninsula and one over the Black Sea.
The ministry elaborated, “The day before yesterday, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using six drones against targets in Russia was also foiled, where the on-duty air defense systems shot down the aircraft.”
