Air defence downs 87 out of 90 drones Russia launched on New Year's Eve

The Russians launched a record number of Shahed attack UAVs on Ukraine on the night of 31 December-1 January. The Ukrainian air defence forces managed to down 87 out of 90 of them.

Source: Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Ukraine's Air Force Commander; Ukraine’s Air Force on Telegram; Defence Forces of Ukraine’s South on Telegram

Quote from Oleshchuk: "A big thanks to everyone for their combat work! A year ago, on New Year's Eve, the defenders of the sky destroyed 45 Shahed drones. Today – 87! Let's hold the sky! Together to the victory!"

Details: The Air Force added that the attack was carried out in waves from four directions: Cape Chauda and Balaklava (Crimea) and Kursk and Primorsko-Akhtarsk (Russia).

In addition, the Russians attacked Kharkiv Oblast with four S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles, and they also struck the temporary occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts with three Kh-31P anti-radar missiles and one Kh-59.

An air-raid warning was issued in most oblasts of Ukraine following the route of the drones.

"In fact, air defence was responding in all oblasts. The air attack was repulsed by mobile fire groups of the Defence Forces, fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force," the Air Force said. 

The Defence Forces of Ukraine’s South said the massive drone attack lasted for 11 hours.

In total, 51 Shahed UAVs were destroyed in the south of Ukraine: 28 in Odesa Oblast, 14 in Mykolaiv Oblast, five in Vinnytsia Oblast, two in Dnipro Oblast, and one each in Kherson and Kirovohrad oblasts.

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