Ukrainian forces thwart Russian air attacks on second anniversary of Russian full-scale invasion

Over three Ukrainian oblasts, 12 Russian Shahed drones and two Kh-59 missiles were destroyed.

Feb 24, 2024 - 08:20
Ukrainian forces thwart Russian air attacks on second anniversary of Russian full-scale invasion

Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces have announced the successful interception of 12 Russian drones and two Kh-59 missiles within their operational zone.

This marks another successful repulsion of Russian attacks, which have been occurring nearly every day for the past two years amid the full-scale war with Russia. Today marks the second anniversary of the full-scale war that Russia launched in the east of Ukraine in 2014.

In a statement, the Southern Defense Forces revealed, “UAVs of the ‘Shahed-131/136’ type, originating from the Black Sea, executed intricate maneuvers over coastal settlements and into the heart of the country, reaching central regions.”

The anti-air defense units in our operational zone successfully brought down:

– 2 kamikaze drones over Mykolayiv Oblast
– 5 over Kirovohrad Oblast
– 5 over Odesa Oblast

Simultaneously, Russia employed guided aviation missiles Kh-59 from a tactical aviation aircraft in the Azov Sea. Two missiles were neutralized by air defense forces in Kirovohrad Oblast. The fate of the aircraft is under investigation.

Military sources also reported that one of the downed drones crashed into a residential quarter in Odesa, causing destruction and fire in a typical Odesan courtyard.

The statement added, “Although the fire was promptly extinguished, one apartment was completely destroyed. The owner perished, but his wife was successfully rescued from the debris and hospitalized in critical condition.”

Additionally, two residents from an adjacent apartment were transported to the hospital with burns and other injuries.

In the morning, the Air Force clarified that on the night of February 24, Russians launched attacks with two ballistic missiles ‘Iskander-M’ (from Rostov Oblast), three guided aviation missiles Kh-59 (from TOT Kherson Oblast), and 12 combat UAVs of the ‘Shahed’ type (from Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Chauda).

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