Russia, Ukraine attack each other with dozens of suicide UAVs

Ukraine announced that it intercepted 15 out of 35 suicide UAVs deployed by Russia, while Moscow announced the destruction of 21 aircraft targeting Crimea and several provinces.

The Ukrainian Air Force Command said that early this morning Moscow deployed 35 Shahed-136/131 suicide unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and two converted S-300 air defense missiles to target military targets and energy and oil infrastructure in frontline provinces and areas bordering Russia.

"Air defense and air force units shot down 15 enemy UAVs in the airspace over Kiev, Kharkov, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Cherkasy, Kirovograd, Dnipro and Kherson regions," the agency said, without mentioning the fate of the 20 UAVs and two S-300 missiles that slipped through the defense net, as well as the consequences of the attack.

Smoke rises in the Ukrainian capital Kiev after a Russian airstrike on January 23. Photo: Reuters

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on the same day that it had intercepted 11 suicide drones over Crimea, along with 10 in the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga and Tula provinces. Debris from some of the aircraft fell on structures on the ground but did not cause damage.

Russian and Ukrainian officials did not comment on the information given by the other side.

Since late December 2023, Russia has launched many large-scale missile and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) attacks on Ukrainian territory, mainly targeting Kiev's defense industrial facilities, instead of the enemy's energy infrastructure as in late 2022 and early 2023.

Ukraine recently reported that the rate of intercepting Russian UAVs and missiles was much lower than the airstrikes last year. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on January 23 that Western allies were not providing the country with enough air defense and missile systems to shoot down Russian missiles and UAVs.

The situation of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Graphics: WP

Ukraine has also stepped up attacks on Russian energy facilities in recent weeks in an effort to “retaliate” against Moscow’s attacks on Kiev’s energy infrastructure. Experts say Ukraine is deploying a new type of UAV with longer range and more destructive power to strike targets deep inside enemy territory.

Vu Anh (According to Reuters, RIA Novosti )

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