Russia attacks Ukraine with Iskanders and drones: Air defense response
![Russia attacks Ukraine with Iskanders and drones: Air defense response](https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/static/img/_/v/_vogneva_grupa_ppo_ukr_vii__skovii___foto___vitalii___nosach_rbk_ukrai__na20240020_83a260e300ab93cf52e07d5c21199186_1300x820_e2e2e9ce3fa5c1a580fab5390e2d8997_650x410.jpg)
Russian forces struck Ukraine with drones and missiles, including Iskanders, on the night of July 21. Air defense shot down 35 drones, according to the Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk on Telegram.
"On the night of July 21, the enemy launched three Iskander-M ballistic missiles from Kursk region and Crimea, and two Kh-59/69 guided air missiles from the airspace of the Kursk region," he said.
In addition, according to him, Russia deployed 39 Shahed-type strike UAVs from three directions: Kursk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, and temporarily occupied Crimea.
"Tonight, air defense managed to shoot down 35 enemy Shahed-131/136 strike UAVs. Also, thanks to active countermeasures, the enemy's Kh-59/69 guided air missiles did not reach their targets," Oleshchuk noted.
Features of the strike
As the general added, during the night attack, the Air Force's radio engineering troops detected and tracked air targets in more than 10 regions of Ukraine.
To repel the air attack, mobile fire group units of all Ukrainian Defense Forces, as well as anti-aircraft missile troops and electronic warfare units, were involved.
"Air defense operated in the Sumy, Poltava, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Odesa, and Cherkasy regions," he stated.
Russian attack on Ukraine Russian forces launched a combined attack on Ukraine on the night of July 21. In some regions, alarms were sounded due to the threat of Russian drone attacks. For instance, in the Poltava region, the alarm lasted over four hours.
The threat also extended to the capital, but air defense shot down all targets launched towards Kyiv. However, there were consequences. In the Sumy region, Russian forces attacked critical infrastructure.