Russian forces surprised Ukraine this morning with the launch against several regions in the east, south, center and west of the country of a total of 38 Shahed kamikaze drones, in the largest attack with these devices since last September 30.
Of the almost forty drones fired by Russia last night, Ukrainian air defenses were only able to shoot down 24, which is a much lower percentage than usual.
In the aforementioned attack on September 30, Russia launched a total of 40 shaheds, of which 30 were shot down by Ukraine.
As Ukrainian military analyst Alexander Kovalenko wrote on his Telegram channel, the low percentage of drones shot down in last night’s attack is due, in part, to the fact that they were launched with a different trajectory than that chosen on other occasions.
Another factor, the expert explained, is that a good part of last night’s drones were directed against areas less protected against air attacks.
Emergency personnel work at the scene of a drone attack in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine. EFE/EPA/Sergey Kozlov
Damage to civil buildings
The most affected city has been the city of Kharkiv, in the northeast of the country.
According to the region’s police, at least ten drones hit civil infrastructure, such as an educational center and several residential and administrative buildings.
In Odessa, in southern Ukraine, the head of the military administration, Oleg Kiper, has reported “an impact” on unspecified infrastructure.
However, Ukrainian defenses shot down two of the launched drones, according to Kiper.
Emergency personnel work at the scene of a drone attack in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine. EFE/EPA/Sergey Kozlov
5 “critical infrastructures” reached in Lviv
In Lviv, in western Ukraine, the drones hit 5 “critical infrastructures,” according to the head of the area’s military administration, Maksim Kozitski.
Kozitski has indicated on his Facebook account that at least 11 of the 16 drones launched against this region, one of the furthest from the front, were intercepted.
Explosions have also been reported in Dnipropetrovsk (center) and Khmelnitsky (west).
In addition to shooting down 24 Shaheds, Ukrainian defenses have intercepted a Kh-59 missile.
In a message published after the attack, President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted on the need for Ukraine to strengthen its air defenses, especially in the face of winter.
According to Zelensky, Russian forces “will try to do more damage” as winter approaches.
Ukraine fears a repeat of the intense bombing campaign against power and thermal plants that in the fall of 2022 and during last winter left millions of Ukrainians without light and heating for weeks. With EFE
