Ukraine says 18 out of 24 Russian drones shot down during overnight strikes

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine early Thursday said 18 out of 24 Russian drones used during overnight strikes were shot down by the country’s air defense.

“On the night of May 4, 2023, the enemy again attacked with ‘Shaheds’ from the north (Bryansk region) and from the south - the eastern coast of the Sea of Azov,” a statement by the Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said.

Russia used up to 24 drones, the statement further said, adding that 18 were shot down “in cooperation with the air defense units of other components of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”

In a separate statement, Serhiy Popko, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said attacks were conducted by Russia on the city, with air raid alerts lasting over 3.5 hours during the night.

“Our city has not felt such a dense intensity of attacks since the beginning of this year! … The Russians attacked Kyiv with the use of Shahed-type barrage ammunition and missiles, probably of the ballistic type,” Popko further said.

Popko also said the type of missiles used will be determined after their remnants are examined, and noted that preliminary information said all missiles and drones were destroyed in Kyiv’s airspace.

“According to operational reports, there were no casualties among the civilian population and no destruction of residential facilities or infrastructure. Falling debris was recorded in some areas of the capital, but they did not cause harm to people's lives and health or serious damage to the city's buildings,” he said.

A later statement by Kherson Governor Oleksandr Prokudin read that the death toll during the shelling in the region on Wednesday rose to 23.

“Over the past day, the enemy carried out 98 shellings, firing 539 shells from heavy artillery, Grad-type rockets, tanks, UAVs, and aviation. The enemy shelled the city of Kherson 16 times. As a result of Russian aggression, 23 people died, 46 (including two children) were injured,” Prokudin said.

Prokudin further said 84 people were evacuated from the region, adding that he expressed his “sincere condolences to the families of the dead and speedy recovery to the wounded.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Wednesday that at least 21 people were killed and 48 others injured by Russian airstrikes in the Kherson region, saying the airstrikes targeted a railway station, a crossing, a house, a hardware store, a supermarket, and a gas station.

The Russia-Ukraine war, now in its second year, has killed 8,709 civilians and wounded 14,666, according to the latest UN figures.​​​​​​​