Ukraine’s military said on Thursday it shot down 20 out of 31 drones attacked by Russian forces overnight.
The Ukrainian Air Force said the interceptions took place in the Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and Kiev regions.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday it destroyed five Ukrainian aerial drones in the Volgograd, Voronezh and Belgorod regions.
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram that the drone strike damaged several apartment buildings and a house, but no one was hurt.
The latest round of airstrikes between the two sides came after drone and missile attacks became more active than usual.
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday condemned the massive Russian attack, which Ukraine’s military said involved 106 drones and 78 missiles.
Biden said, “This outrageous attack was intended to cut off the Ukrainian people’s access to heat and electricity during the winter and threaten the security of its grid. Let me be clear: The Ukrainian people deserve to live in peace and security.” ” a statement.
The United States has provided hundreds of air defense missiles to Ukraine, Biden said, and more are on the way. I have directed the Department of Defense to continue increasing arms supplies to Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia targeted energy infrastructure as part of an effort to “fight blackouts in Ukraine.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that it attacked critical energy infrastructure facilities supporting Ukraine’s military.
Some information for this report came from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
