Russia attacks Ukraine with 85 drones overnight: Air defense response
Illustrative photo: Air defense forces shot down 64 Russian drones (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
On the night of January 31, Russia attacked Ukraine with 85 strike drones from three directions. Air defense forces managed to shoot down 64 enemy unmanned aerial vehicles, according to the Telegram channel of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to the Air Force, from 17:40 on January 30 until the morning of January 31, Russian forces attacked with 85 strike drones of the Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas types, as well as other types of UAVs launched from the directions of Orel, Millerovo, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia. About 55 of them were Shahed drones.
The air attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units and unmanned systems units, as well as mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
According to preliminary data as of 08:00, air defense systems shot down or suppressed 64 enemy drones of the Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas types and other UAVs in the north, south, and east of the country.
Twenty strike drones were recorded hitting 13 locations.
"The attack is ongoing, enemy drones remain in the airspace. Follow safety rules!" the Air Force warned.
Energy ceasefire
Earlier, on January 29, information circulated on social media about an alleged halt by Russia in strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Russians were allegedly prohibited from attacking facilities in Kyiv and the Kyiv region, as well as other regions of Ukraine.
In addition, reports emerged that the ban on strikes against energy facilities could be bilateral and would remain in effect until February 3. It was noted that this was linked to another round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia scheduled for February 1.
Later, US President Donald Trump said that he had personally appealed to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to temporarily suspend strikes on Ukrainian cities during a period of severe frost. According to him, the Kremlin leader agreed to the proposal.
The agreement on the energy ceasefire was confirmed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who stressed that it would last only until February 1.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also confirmed information about an energy ceasefire with Russia. He said the issue was discussed in Abu Dhabi and added that he expects the agreements to be upheld. According to Zelenskyy, the "energy ceasefire" began on the night of January 30.
