Russia launched Iskander missiles and nearly 150 drones at Ukraine. How many were shot down?
Photo: Air defense shot down a missile and 79 drones during the Russian attack on Ukraine on March 8 (Getty Images)
On the night of March 8, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with missiles and dozens of drones from six directions. Air defense intercepted more than half of the drones and one missile, according to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"On the night of March 8, the enemy launched an attack with two Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles and one Iskander-K cruise missile from Russia’s Rostov region, as well as 145 Shahed attack drones and various types of decoy UAVs," the statement said.
The drones were launched from multiple directions, including Millerovo, Kursk, Shatalovo, Bryansk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, and Chauda.
How many were shot down
The air raid was countered by aviation, air defense missile units, electronic warfare units, and mobile fire teams of the Air Force and Ukraine's Defense Forces.
"As of 9:00 a.m., it has been confirmed that one Iskander-K cruise missile and 79 Shahed attack drones and other types of UAVs were shot down," the military reported.
Air defense systems were active in Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, and Odesa regions.
Additionally, 54 enemy decoy drones were lost due to navigation failures.
Consequences of Russia’s attack on Ukraine
The attack caused damage in Donetsk, Poltava, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Odesa regions.
In Bohodukhiv, Kharkiv region, Russian forces targeted a meat processing plant, killing several people and injuring seven others.
In Dobropillia, 11 people were killed, and 30 others were wounded as a result of the Russian attack.
