Ukraine reported this Saturday, January 13, that it encountered a large Russian missile attack early in the morning, but the country's air defenses were less active than usual.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched 37 missiles and three drones. The Air Force of Ukraine said in a statement on social media that 8 missiles were shot down.
Ukraine is now facing an air defense missile shortage, an Air Force spokesman said earlier this week. It is not immediately clear whether this situation explains the low success rate of the Ukrainian response.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, most of the Russian missiles were very fast-moving ballistic models that were very difficult to shoot. It should be noted that more than 20 of the listed weapons, which are not included in the number of missiles shot down, did not hit the target due to active electronic warfare countermeasures. Refers to the press release.
No details of the intended targets were given. Air defense forces have shot down Russian missiles in at least five regions of Ukraine, according to local officials in those provinces. Dnipro, a large city in the country's southeast, was hit, the local governor said, without specifying the intended targets.
Police in the Chernihiv region in the north of the country released a photo showing a large crater left by the downed missile. “Several private houses and non-residential buildings were damaged, while one building was almost destroyed after being hit by enemy missile debris”, writes Police. No people were injured, but a dog was killed, he added.