Thursday, January 26, 2023 | 9:15 a.m.
Russian forces fired more than 30 missiles at targets across Ukraine early Thursday, after the Ukrainian military shot down 24 Iranian-made drones, local authorities said.
Ukrainian military spokesman Yuriy Ignat said several Russian Tu-95 bombers launched the attack from the northern Murmansk region.
“More than 30 missiles have been detected (…). The air defense systems are working,” Ignat added.
According to local authorities, Russian shelling hit two energy facilities in Odessa, in the south of the country.
The Ukrainian capital kyiv and two others carried out “emergency” power cuts after the Russian attacks, private electricity operator DTEK reported.
“It is a precautionary measure that will prevent significant damage to electrical infrastructure if the enemy’s missiles reach their target,” the group said on Telegram. In addition to the capital, cuts were ordered in his region and in those of Odesa (south) and Dnipropetrovsk (central-east), according to DTEK.
The mayor of kyiv offered a balance of the Russian onslaught and indicated that at least one person died and two others were injured.
These attacks come after Germany and the United States announced they would send advanced tanks to Ukraine as an “armored striking force” that would help kyiv break the stalemate on the battlefield, while Russia nears the edge. year of his failed invasion.
Nataliia Humeniuk, head of the Joint Press Center for the Pivden (South) Operational Command, confirmed to a local television channel that on “the morning of January 26, an anti-aircraft siren sounded on the territory of all regions of Ukraine,” which which predicted a new “large-scale missile attack”.
“A new full-scale missile attack may be being launched right now. We are currently observing enemy strategic aviation activity from the Caspian Sea,” he said.
As he explained, the authorities have detected three missile carriers in the Black Sea that are ready to fire at any moment. Each of them carries a total of 20 missiles.
On the other hand, the command of the Ukrainian Army Air Force assured this Thursday on its Facebook account that they had managed to shoot down 24 Iranian-made “kamikaze drones”.
“The Russian occupiers resumed attacks against Ukraine with Iranian-made Shahed-136/131 kamikaze drones on the night of January 25-26. The drones were launched from the eastern coast of the Azov Sea,” the Ukrainian Army explained.
According to preliminary data, the enemy launched 24 Shahed drones. “All 24 were shot down by anti-aircraft missile units, fighter jets, Air Force mobile fire groups in cooperation with air defense units of other components of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.”
The Air Force Command reported that most of the “kamikaze drones” were destroyed in the center of the country.
The Military Administration of the city of kyiv reported, for its part, the shooting down of about 15 Shahed drones that were going to fall on the city tonight.
”The enemy again attacked kyiv from the air at night. About 15 enemy unmanned aerial devices were shot down in the airspace,” warned Serhii Popko, head of the Military Administration of the Ukrainian capital.
Since October, Russia has launched regular waves of airstrikes against Ukraine, mainly targeting energy infrastructure.
These attacks have paralyzed the electricity grid and have led Ukraine to strengthen its air defense systems with the support of its Western allies.
