Ukrainian air defenses successfully intercepted 78 Russian drones overnight as Moscow launched a large-scale aerial assault on multiple regions of the country, Ukraine’s Air Force reported.
On the night of March 25, Russia fired an Iskander-M ballistic missile from Crimea and deployed 139 Shahed drones and simulator drones from several launch points, including Millerovo, Kursk and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia, as well as the occupied territory of Chauda in Crimea.
The assault targeted multiple regions, including Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Cherkasy and Odesa, as Russia continued its campaign of near-nightly drone strikes.
Ukrainian defense efforts
Ukrainian forces responded with a coordinated defense effort involving aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units and mobile fire teams. As of 9 a.m. local time, Ukraine’s Air Force confirmed the successful downing of 78 Russian Shahed drones across the country’s south, north and central regions. An additional 35 simulator drones crashed without causing damage.
The March 25 assault follows a similar attack the previous night, in which Russia launched 99 drones, 57 of which were intercepted by Ukrainian forces.
Ongoing Russian strikes
Since the start of its full-scale invasion, Russia has routinely targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and urban centers with missile and drone barrages, although both sides recently agreed to a ceasefire on energy infrastructure sites.
As Ukraine continues to bolster its air defense systems with Western-supplied weapons and indigenous countermeasures, its ability to repel such attacks will remain a key factor in the ongoing conflict.
RELATED CONTENT: 9 ways the war in Ukraine has changed counter-UAS
Post Image Credit: Image Bank of the War in Ukraine
