• Ukraine’s Air Force claims 274 out of 297 drones, 33 out of 46 missiles, launched by Russia, downed by air defenses

ISTANBUL

Russia and Ukraine on Sunday accused each other of overnight airstrikes that have killed two and injured nine others.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed in a statement that its air defenses shot down 86 Ukrainian drones, of which 29 were downed over the country’s border region of Belgorod.

“As a result of further targeted strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, one civilian was killed and another was injured,” Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a statement on Telegram.

Officials from other regions, mentioned by the Defense Ministry, including the Saratov, Voronezh, and Smolensk areas, reported no casualties or damage to local infrastructure, based on preliminary information.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force claimed on Telegram that its air defenses shot down 274 out of 297 drones, as well as 33 out of 46 missiles, launched by Russia overnight.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported that one person was killed and five others were injured in the village of Putrivka in the Kyiv region, noting that infrastructure facilities, and private residential and commercial buildings in the region were also damaged.

The statement added that energy infrastructure facilities in the southwestern Odesa region were also hit during the overnight attacks and sustained “significant” damage.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said through US social media company X that a total of eight people were injured in the country due to the attacks, which also affected the Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Poltava, and Sumy regions, stating that while the main target of the strikes was the energy sector, ordinary residential buildings and railway infrastructure were also damaged.

“This week alone, Russia launched more than 1,300 attack drones against Ukraine, over 1,400 guided aerial bombs, and 96 missiles of various types, including dozens of ballistic ones. That is why we must bolster our air defense. We need systems that effectively counter ballistic threats,” he added.

Commenting on the attacks, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a later statement that it launched attacks against military-industrial complex and energy infrastructure facilities used by the Ukrainian army.

Ukraine, meanwhile, has yet to comment on Moscow's claims.