Ukraine's Air Force details key targets and tactics behind Russia's overnight attack
Photo: Yurii Ihnat (Getty Images)
Russians attempted to attack Ukraine from different directions. This time, it was possible to shoot down almost all cruise missiles, says the head of the communications department of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Yurii Ihnat.
“The enemy used 426 aerial attack assets, of which 390 were shot down by air defense. Today these included Kh-101 missiles, cruise missiles, as well as Iskander-K missiles, and guided Kh-59, Kh-69, or anti-radar Kh-31P missiles,” Ihnat said.
According to him, there were also ballistic missiles that flew toward Poltava and Zaporizhzhia regions. Zaporizhzhia also suffered today from a strike, namely from a ballistic attack.
“Also, many drones were recorded today, a large number of them were shot down. Virtually all cruise missiles were also shot down — these are 18 Kh-101 and 5 Iskander-K. All cruise missiles were intercepted,” the head of the communications department of the Air Force Command added.
He stressed that this is the second time in a row when, thanks to the joint efforts of air defense, all cruise missiles were shot down. Aviation is mainly working against them, including Western F-16 and Mirage aircraft.
“As for ballistics, unfortunately, the results are discouraging, because the nature of the strike fell on frontline territories — Zaporizhzhia and Poltava regions. Our Patriot system can work against ballistics, which we greatly need to scale up,” Ihnat emphasized.
It is also being determined exactly how many Iskander-M missiles there were and how many were surface-to-air guided missiles, such as S-300 or S-400. They can also attack on a ballistic principle, although they have a significantly smaller warhead.
Russian targets
“As always, the targets are energy facilities, critical infrastructure, and possibly enterprises that also play an important role for Ukraine. Therefore, the enemy usually has these targets on its priority list,” Ihnat said.
According to him, in line with the tasks set by the Russian leadership, the enemy uses missiles and drones against the territory of our state.
Features of the night attack
“The enemy uses a large number of drones, employing up to eight different directions. They already have typical routes, understanding where our weak spots may be,” the head of the communications department of the Air Force Command added.
He also reported that after each such strike, a detailed analysis is conducted, and conclusions are drawn on how best to repel this direction next time.
“The enemy uses UAVs of various types, dozens of different types. Of course, the main problem for the defense forces is the Shaheds, especially dangerous drones with control channels,” Ihnat concluded.
More details about the nighttime combined Russian attack - in RBC-Ukraine’s report.
