Russia attacked Ukraine with more than a dozen attack drones and a cruise missile, the Ukrainian air force said Wednesday, claiming to have downed all the drones.
This came as authorities in the southern region of Odesa announced they earlier shot down a rare Iranian-designed attack and reconnaissance drone.
Ukraine has been bracing for an increase in Russian attacks on critical infrastructure — particularly energy facilities — as sub-zero temperatures set in.
The air force said the barrage had been launched from southeast Russia and that a combination of air defense units in several central regions had “destroyed all 14 enemy Shahed-131/136 drones.”
“The X-22 cruise missile failed to reach its target and landed in Zaporizhzhia region in an open area, and the blast wave damaged private homes. There were no casualties,” it added in a statement.
Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure last winter left many in the cold and dark for long periods, and Kyiv has since received more air defense systems from its allies.
Authorities in the Odesa region on the Black Sea said they had downed the “rare” Mohajer-6 drone one day earlier.
“The reconnaissance and strike UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) was sneaking up on the Odesa region,” city officials said.
The statement on social media said Russia had purchased 30 of the drones last year and that air defence forces shot one down for the first time last September.
The Mohajer-6 is designed for reconnaissance and attack, can carry four guided missiles and has a range of up to 200 kilometers (124 miles) over 12 hours, the statement added.