Russia launches new bombardment of missiles and drones against Ukraine

(CNN) — Russia launched another major bombardment of missiles and drones against Ukraine on Saturday, the fourth such attack since Dec. 29, amid concerns that Moscow is trying to weaken Ukraine’s air defenses.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the Russian attack involved 40 attack weapons, including cruise missiles, aeroballistic missiles, ballistic missiles, air missiles, anti-aircraft missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Ukraine managed to shoot down eight missiles, its air force said. Furthermore, he said that “more than 20 air strike weapons launched failed to reach their targets due to extensive electronic warfare countermeasures.”

Air raid warnings and security were activated throughout the country. Several areas were affected, including the city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine and Dnipro in the east.

According to police, in Chernihiv, missile fragments damaged vacant civilian residential buildings in the city.

“Enemy missile fragments caused destruction in a private residential area of ​​Chernihiv. Fortunately, there were no injuries,” the police wrote on Telegram.

The local mayor said that the area had already been damaged, so there were no civilian casualties.

According to Serhiy Lysak, head of the military administration of the Dnipropetrovsk region, the attacks took place in the city of Dnipro.

“We are now determining the extent of the damage caused by the attacks. However, people are always the priority. Fortunately, everyone is safe,” Lisak wrote on Telegram.

An apartment is damaged after a recent bomb explosion in Makiivka, on the outskirts of Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

Saturday’s attacks are the fourth largest since Russia began mass bombing attacks across the country on December 29.

strategy is changing

Analysts say the latest Russian missile attack is intended to burden Ukraine’s limited missile defense.

In the previous attack on January 7, Ukraine was able to shoot down only 18 of the 59 missiles launched.

The Russian military is also using new tactics as part of its air campaign, such as painting its Iranian-made drones black, disguising them against the night sky.

Another tactic, a Ukrainian unit told CNN, is to move the engine exhaust of some drones from the back to the front, in an effort to confuse anti-aircraft batteries using thermal sights.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a press conference with United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday that the country is far from widespread air coverage.

“We lack the Patriot system and suitable systems of different ranges. It is coming little by little. something is in the way. We have agreed on something new. However, we still lack adequate systems to counter, for example, ballistic missiles,” Zelensky said.

With its stockpile of anti-aircraft missiles depleted, Ukraine is relying on mobile firing groups for air defense to shoot down drones.

“Now they are the central unit that destroys enemy UAVs. “We are counting on them to be able to defend against guided anti-aircraft missiles, which is quite rare for us in such large-scale attacks,” Air Force spokesman Yuri Ihnat said after the bombing by 29 unmanned aerial vehicles last week. ” Iranians all over the country.

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