Ukraine downs 14 of 15 drones launched by Russia
Kyiv, Mar 28 (EFE).- Ukraine managed to down the vast majority of drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack, the country’s armed forces reported on Tuesday.
“Russian forces used 15 Shahed-136 attack drones to launch air strikes on Ukraine, and 14 of them were destroyed by the Ukrainian military,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Facebook.
“The probability of launching further missile and air strikes remains high throughout the territory of Ukraine,” the report added.
Authorities said that the Iranian-made drones were launched from the north and south-east of Ukraine.
Twelve drones were detected and destroyed over the capital’s airspace, the head of the Kyiv military administration said.
Kyiv mayor, Vitaliy Klychko, reported several explosions in the capital overnight.
One blast caused a blaze in a shop that has since been extinguished without causing any casualties, the official said on Telegram.
Even if drones are destroyed before reaching their target, they can explode upon landing after being intercepted.
Three other drones took aim at the Dnipropetrovsk oblast, in the center of the country. Two of them were destroyed by air defense systems while a third hit the facilities of a private company starting a fire that caused no casualties, according to the region’s military administration.
Russia has been targeting Ukraine’s infrastructure, especially its electricity grid, since October using Iranian-made Shahed drones.
Ukraine has been effective at intercepting many drone attacks thanks to recent donations of air defense systems from its allies.
Downing the drones has averted power system damages that in the past triggered widespread electricity blackouts affecting millions in Ukraine.
Some analysts have suggested Moscow could be deploying the relatively low-cost drones in a campaign to force Ukraine to use stocks of expensive weapons to bring them down.EFE
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