Russia launches 36 cruise missiles at night, air defence systems down 16 of them

Russia fired a total of 36 air- and sea-launched cruise missiles on the night of 15-16 February, with Ukrainian air defence shooting down 16 of them.

Source: Press service for Ukrainian Air Force Command; Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, on social media

Details: Russian occupation forces carried out a large-scale missile attack on critical infrastructure facilities in Ukraine on the night of 15-16 February. 

They fired 32 air-launched and sea-launched cruise missiles. 

The Commander-in-Chief stated that during the attack, Russia fired a total of 36 missiles, including 12 Kh-101/Kh-555 air-launched cruise missiles, 8 sea-launched Kalibr cruise missiles, 12 Kh-22 anti-ship cruise missiles, 3 Kh-59/31 guided air-launched missiles and an Onyx anti-ship missile. 

The launches involved Tu-22M3 and Tu-95MS strategic aircraft from Kursk Oblast and the Caspian Sea, Su-35 tactical aircraft from the area of temporarily occupied Melitopol, and cruise missile carriers in the Black Sea.

Units of the Air Force of Ukraine have shot down 14 Kh-101/Kh-555 and Kalibr cruise missiles and 2 Kh-59 air-launched guided missiles. 

Quote: "Unfortunately, some of the Kh-22 cruise missiles hit their targets, striking critical infrastructure facilities. At the moment, we do not have the weapons capable of shooting down this type of missile."

Background: Air-raid sirens were sounded all over Ukraine on the night of 15-16 February. The President’s Office reported in the morning that there were strikes in Ukraine's north and west, as well as Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad oblasts (the country's southeast and centre, respectively).  

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