There have been numerous reports of drones hovering over Russian land.
Every night, Russia and Ukraine are exchanging fierce attacks. Moscow's Defense Ministry informs that 87 drones have been shot down by the Russian army. There are reports of Kinzhal-Rakets being used once again against Ukraine.
The Ukrainians responded by sending a large number of drones towards Russia during the night after Russian announcements. According to Moscow's Defense Ministry, 87 drones were taken down by the Russian army. 70 of them were intercepted in the southern region of Rostov, where the military headquarters responsible for the Ukraine operation is based in Rostov-on-Don, the regional capital.
The governor of Rostov, Vasili Golubev, confirmed there were no fatalities in the drone attacks in the Rostov region. However, power outages were reported in several places.
In Belgorod, Volgograd, Voronezh, and Kursk regions, as well as on the annexed Crimean Peninsula, drones were also intercepted, according to the Russians. In the Voronezh region that borders Ukraine, Governor Alexander Gussew reported that there was minor damage to a tank at an oil depot due to debris from drones. Ukraine has been focusing its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure facilities in recent days.
Russia Uses Kinzhal-Rakets Again
According to sources in Kiev, the Russian Air Force targeted several targets in Ukraine with the feared hypersonic missile Kinzhal. Early morning explosions were heard in the western Ukrainian region of Chmelnytskyi, where the public broadcaster Suspilne reported locals had observed. Not far from the city of Starokostiantyniv, there is a significant Ukrainian air defense base. It is rumored that Western fighter jets of the F-16 type could appear here, as Ukraine is expected to receive them from allies. The Ukrainian government has not commented on the damage caused by the explosions near the capital Kiev, but Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed they were due to anti-aircraft fire.
On the previous night, Russia launched a combined air attack on Ukraine using cruise missiles, rockets, and combat drones. The Russian Air Force also reported that a Kinzhal was used, as mentioned in official statements. Out of ten cruise missiles of the types Ch-101 and Ch-555, along with all 17 drones, they intercepted seven of them. The Russian military also employed three ballistic missiles Iskander-M and struck the Zaporizhzhia area.
There was no reported damage to civilian facilities before midday. The Ukrainian army typically remains silent regarding hits on military targets. The fire department in Kiev continued to extinguish a blaze at an unspecified industrial plant that had been blazing since Wednesday. The fire was allegedly caused by falling rocket parts during the night.
The Russians view the modern Kinzhal-Rakets highly due to their speed and explosive power and consider them a kind of miracle weapon. The Ukrainian air defense has managed to intercept several Kinzhal using the US Patriot missile defense system. The almost nightly Russian air raids have been targeting both military and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine for the past few weeks.
