Russia sharply increases kamikaze drone attacks on Ukraine's south
Photo: Russia has sharply intensified kamikaze drone attacks in the South (Getty Images)
Russian forces have sharply increased the number of kamikaze drone strikes along the southern front. Nearly 670 such attacks were recorded in the past 24 hours — almost double the average of previous days, according to a statement by Southern Defense Forces spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn on a television broadcast.
According to Voloshyn, in the Kherson sector, the enemy carried out 370 kamikaze drone strikes, compared to the previous average of about 200–250.
Overall, along the southern front, the number of strikes rose from 400–450 to nearly 670 in a single day.
At the same time, the number of ground clashes in the Southern Defense Forces' area of responsibility remains relatively low.
Voloshyn clarified that in the Prydniprovskyi and Kherson directions, six engagements were recorded, mostly involving enemy attempts to gain control over the island zone in the Dnipro River delta.
In the Zaporizhzhia direction, particularly near Orikhiv, there were three clashes as the enemy tried to advance toward Novoandriivka.
In the Hulyaipole direction, one attack took place near the village of Malynivka, where Russian forces are also actively using aircraft to strike settlements close to the front line.
"The enemy is also regrouping its forces and equipment, building up assault groups at forward positions in order to resume active offensive operations in the coming days," he stressed.
Artillery and air strikes remain intense — in the past 24 hours, there were 206 artillery bombardments, while Russian aircraft continued to use both guided bombs and unguided rockets.
Situation on the front
Over the past 24 hours, 160 combat engagements were recorded across the front line, with the heaviest fighting in the Pokrovsk, Novopavlivka, and Lyman directions.
Yesterday, the enemy carried out two missile strikes using six missiles, 79 air strikes — including 146 guided aerial bombs — against Ukrainian positions and populated areas.
In addition, Russian forces conducted 6,157 artillery attacks, 118 of them from multiple launch rocket systems, and deployed 3,910 kamikaze drones.
