Lviv, Ukraine, Jan 1 (EFE).- Russia launched a huge attack on Ukraine on New Year’s Eve with a record number of drones, Ukrainian defense officials said Monday.
The drone attacks, which lasted 11 hours, come as part of Russia’s response to the shelling of the border city of Belgorod by Ukraine late last week, in which at least 24 people died.
The Belgorod air strikes were Ukraine’s retaliation for a huge wave of missile and drone attacks on multiple cities on Friday which killed nearly 40 people across the country.
Several regions across Ukraine, from Kharkiv in the east, to Odesa in the south and Lviv in the west, came under attack on Sunday night. At least one person was killed in Lviv.
“A powerful massive drone attack lasted 11 hours. Kamikaze drones were launched in the afternoon and the anti-aircraft defense finished its work around 4am local time,” the Southern Defense Forces noted on its Telegram channel.
The Ukrainian Air Force stressed that “the enemy used a record number of Iranian Shahed-type unmanned aerial attack vehicles.”
In total, Russia launched 90 drones and four S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles over Ukraine, as well as three Kh-31P anti-radar missiles and one Kh-59, it said. EFE
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