Russia, Ukraine trade drone strikes overnight
Kyiv says 78 drones launched, Moscow claims 42 Ukrainian UAVs destroyed
ISTANBUL
Ukraine and Russia exchanged overnight drone attacks across multiple fronts, with Kyiv calling it one of the largest assaults in weeks and Moscow saying its forces destroyed dozens of Ukrainian UAVs over its territory.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 78 Shahed, Gerbera, and other attack drones from Orel, Millerovo, Kursk, and Chauda in Crimea on the night of Oct. 11.
“As of 09:00 (0600GMT), air defenses shot down or suppressed 54 enemy UAVs in the north, south, and east of the country,” the force said on Telegram, adding that 21 drones hit six locations and that the attack was ongoing.
Kyiv said air defense units, electronic warfare systems, and mobile fire groups were engaged in repelling the assault.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 42 Ukrainian drones over several regions between 11 pm (2000GMT) on Oct. 10 and 7 am (0400GMT) on Oct. 11.
The ministry said 19 drones were downed over Volgograd, 15 over Rostov, three over Ulyanovsk, two each over Voronezh and Bashkortostan, and one over Saratov.
Both sides reported no casualties from the latest drone exchanges, which come amid more than a thousand days of the Russia-Ukraine war that began in February 2022.
