Ukraine needs better air defenses, Zelensky says after Russian drone attack

FILE PHOTO: A local resident walks along a damaged street, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in the town of Siversk, Donetsk region, Ukraine March 5, 2023. REUTERS/Alex Babenko/File Photo
ARAB NEWS | Published November 24, 2024
  • Over the past week Russia used more than 800 guided aerial bombs, about 460 attack drones, and more than 20 missiles of various types

KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday Ukraine needs to strengthen its air defenses to protect people after its air defense units shot down 50 of 73 Russian drones launched overnight over many regions.

“An air alert has been sounded almost daily across Ukraine this week,” Zelensky said on Telegram messenger.

Over the past week Russia used more than 800 guided aerial bombs, about 460 attack drones, and more than 20 missiles of various types, Zelensky said.

“Ukraine is not a testing ground for weapons. Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state. But Russia still continues its efforts to kill our people, spread fear and panic, and weaken us,” he said.

The Ukrainian military said earlier on Sunday that air defense units had destroyed more than 10 Russian drones that were targeting Kyiv in an overnight attack.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries as a result of the attack, Kyiv’s military administration posted on Telegram.

 

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SOURCE: www.arabnews.com

RELATED: Ukraine downs 50 of 73 Russian drones in overnight attack, Air Force says

An Iranian-made Shahed 131/136 kamikaze drone, a model often used by Russian forces in airstrikes against Ukraine in an undated photo. For illustrative purposes. (Ukraine’s Southern Operational Command/Telegram)
THE KYIV INDEPENDENT | Published November 24, 2024

Ukraine shot down 50 of the 73 drones launched by Russia overnight on Nov. 24, the Air Force reported.

Russia reportedly targeted Ukraine with Shahed drones and an unspecified type of drone launched from the Russian oblasts of Oryol and Bryansk.

The drones were downed over Kyiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava, and Zhytomyr oblasts, according to the Air Force. There have been no reports of casualties or damage.

As of 9 a.m. local time, four Russian drones remained in Ukrainian airspace, with combat operations ongoing.

Kyiv authorities reported in the morning that air defense forces shot down more than a dozen drones targeting the capital.

“Preliminary reports indicate no damage in the capital, and no information about casualties has been received,” the Kyiv City Military Administration wrote on Telegram.

Russia has increased large-scale drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, depleting Ukraine’s air defense systems and targeting critical infrastructure.

On Nov. 17, Russian forces launched one of the heaviest aerial strikes of the full-scale war, primarily targeting the energy grid. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 102 of the 120 missiles and 42 of the 90 drones launched overnight.

 

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SOURCE: www.kyivindependent.com

 

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