Russia’s massive air attack overnight targets Kyiv, eastern Ukraine

Russia launched 17 cruise missiles and more than thirty Iranian-made kamikaze drones in yet another attack on Ukraine overnight on Friday, the Ukrainian Air Force Command said in a statement.

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The attack began shortly before midnight and lasted until the early hours of Friday, with eastern Ukraine being targeted, in particular critical and military infrastructure.

The Russians launched 10 X-101/X-555 cruise missiles from Tu-95MS strategic bombers from the Caspian Sea, seven S-300/S-400 anti-aircraft guided missiles from the area of temporarily occupied Tokmak, in the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine, and 31 Shahed-136 drones.

Air defences shot down all 10 cruise missiles, 23 attack UAVs, as well as two reconnaissance drones Orlan-10 and Merlin-VR, the Air Force said.

However, a drone and several S-300/S-400 missiles landed in the Kharkiv and Dnipro regions.

Kyiv’s military administration reported that air defences had shot down all the missiles flying towards the capital. Debris fell on a shopping centre and a private house in two districts.

In the city of Dnipro, a transport company was severely damaged and a person was wounded.

Russia has resumed massive air attacks, including with air-launched ballistic missiles, since late March as Ukraine gears up for a planned counteroffensive.

In the latest attack, the Ukrainian air defence shot down 36 Shahed-136 kamikaze drones launched by Russia.