Russia strikes Ukraine with Iskander missile and over 100 UAVs – Air defense works
Photo: Air defense shot down 74 of 117 drones during the Russian attack on Ukraine on the night of March 13 (Getty Images)
Russian forces launched a combined attack on Ukraine in the night from March 12 to 13. Air defense systems operated across 11 regions of Ukraine, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports.
"On the night of March 13, the enemy attacked with a ballistic missile 'Iskander-M' from the Kursk region, 117 Shahed-type strike drones, and UAV decoys of various types," the statement says.
The drones were launched from the directions of Shatalovo, Millerovo, Kursk, Bryansk, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk.
Air defense response
Aviation, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare units, and mobile fire groups of the Air Force and Defense Forces of Ukraine countered the air assault.
"By 9:00 a.m., it was confirmed that 74 Shahed-type strike UAVs and other types of drones were downed," the Ukrainian military noted.
Air defense systems worked across the Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, and Mykolaiv regions.
Furthermore, 38 Russian decoy drones were lost locally.
Consequences of Russian attack on Ukraine
Due to the Russian air attack, the Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Odesa regions, and Zaporizhzhia were affected.
In particular, Russia targeted Kyiv with 18 drones, 12 of which were shot down by air defense. The air raid alert in the capital lasted for over three hours.
Russian forces also struck the Dnipropetrovsk region with drones on the night of March 13. The regional railway services had to adjust the schedules of several trains, and there were casualties.
Furthermore, parts of Kherson were left without power due to the massive shelling. Six districts were partially de-energized.
