Ukrainian air defenses successfully intercepted and destroyed all Iranian-designed Shahed drones launched by Russian forces in an overnight attack, reported Mykola Oleschuk, commander of the Ukrainian Air Force. The operation, conducted early on July 5, involved the downing of 32 kamikaze drones launched from Russia’s Kursk region and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Krasnodar Krai.
The Ukrainian Air Force utilized fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units, mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces, and electronic warfare units to neutralize the threat. The drones targeted seven regions: Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Cherkasy. “Thank you for the 100% result!” Oleschuk wrote on Telegram, expressing gratitude for the successful defense.
Despite the successful interception, debris from the downed drones caused damage in some areas. In Makariv city, Mayor Vadym Tokar reported that six private houses and one car were damaged. There were no casualties or injuries reported.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have destroyed 50 Ukrainian drones in Russian and annexed Ukrainian territories. This includes downing drones over Krasnodar, Rostov, and the Zaporizhzhia region. Russia’s use of Shahed drones aims to exhaust Ukrainian defenses, as stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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