Russia launches over 90 drones at Ukraine from three directions: Air defense responds
Photo: Air defense shot down 60 of 93 drones during the Russian attack on Ukraine on January 3 (Getty Images)
Russia launched 93 drones at Ukraine overnight on January 3, with the Ukrainian air defense successfully intercepting about two-thirds of enemy targets, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports.
"During the night of January 3, the enemy launched 93 strike UAVs of the 'Shahed' type and various other types of decoy drones from the directions of Bryansk, Millerovo, and Oryol," the statement says.
How air defense responds
The Russian aerial attack was countered by aviation, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare divisions, and mobile fire groups of the Air Force and Defense Forces of Ukraine.
"As of 09:00 a.m., 60 strike UAVs of the 'Shahed' type and other drones were confirmed shot down," Ukraine's military reported.
In particular, air defense units operated in the Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Donetsk, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
In addition, 26 enemy decoy drones were lost locally due to the defense forces' active countermeasures.
Consequences of Russia's drone attack on Ukraine
The Russian drone attack resulted in several strikes on private enterprises and residential buildings in the Donetsk and Chernihiv regions. In particular, Russian forces used a drone to hit a residential building in Kramatorsk.
The downed 'Shahed' UAVs also caused damage in the Kyiv region. In several areas, private houses and cars were affected. Unfortunately, there are killed and injured victims in the Kyiv region due to the Russian attack.
Furthermore, a woman was wounded in Kyiv following the Russian strike. Debris fell in two districts of the capital. In addition, Russian forces carried out an airstrike on the city of Sumy on January 3. Fortunately, there were no killed victims, though there were injuries reported.
