Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk announced on Sunday that Ukrainian forces successfully downed 12 Russian attack drones overnight, in addition to a KH-59 cruise missile and a Sukhoi-34 fighter bomber.
Oleshchuk expressed his gratitude towards the Air Force units for their effective combat performance in a statement shared on Telegram, as reported by Reuters.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated on Saturday evening that Ukrainian forces had withdrawn from Avdiivka and fortified their positions in the “Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant” following the full capture of the town by Russian units in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.
Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov, in a video statement released on Telegram, mentioned that measures are being taken to evacuate the town entirely of militants and counter the Ukrainian units that have left the town to take refuge in the plant.
In a related development, the regional governor of Kramatorsk confirmed that two individuals were killed following a Russian missile attack on the eastern Ukrainian city on Saturday evening.
AFP correspondents in the city witnessed rescue workers retrieving a body from a house, while others searched for survivors amid the rubble.
Donetsk’s Ukrainian Governor Vadym Lyakh stated that Russia fired three missiles at the city, resulting in the death of a woman born in 1977, whose body was recovered from the debris.
He later added that the body of a 23-year-old man was also found, and there are fears of another person being trapped under the rubble.
Air raid sirens sounded over the city, signaling the possibility of new strikes while the rescue operations continued.
A spokesperson for the regional administration noted that the strike is part of a pattern of escalating random Russian attacks on civilians.
Kramatorsk, located approximately 20 kilometers from the front lines in eastern Ukraine, has been repeatedly targeted by Russian forces since the war began two years ago.
This includes an attack on the city’s train station in April 2022, which resulted in over 60 fatalities.
