Ukraine says it downed missiles, 21 drones in overnight attacks

KYIV - Ukraine said on Nov 29 that its air force had destroyed nearly two dozen Russian attack drones and several missiles from Moscow’s latest aerial assault on targets across the country.

Officials in Kyiv say Russian forces have been stockpiling drones and missiles for systematic attacks on Ukraine’s struggling energy grid during winter.

“In total, the strike involved 21 Shahed-136/131 strike drones; three X-59 guided missiles,” Ukraine’s air force announced on social media, claiming to have downed all the drones and two missiles.

It said it used fighter jets and anti-aircraft and mobile air defence units to down the drones and missiles in southern and central regions of Ukraine.

It added that the third missile, which was not downed, did not reach its target. There was no immediate comment from Russia.

The regional governor of the western region of Khmelnytskyi said on social media that an agricultural enterprise had been damaged, without providing details.

Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during the winter of 2022 left millions in the cold and dark for extended periods.

The office of Ukraine’s prosecutor-general said Russia shelled civilian areas in Seredyna-Buda, a village on the border with Russia, on Nov 28.

“Two dead women and two wounded men were recovered from the rubble. A man and his seven-year-old stepdaughter were also injured in their car. The girl later died in the hospital,” it said in a post on social media.

The Kremlin said Kyiv was ultimately responsible for not entering negotiations.

The authorities in Moscow meanwhile said on Nov 29 that they had downed a Ukrainian drone over the capital, but no one was injured and there was no damage caused by falling debris.

The United Nations says it has verified at least 10,000 civilian deaths since Russia invaded, but cautions the “actual figure may be significantly higher”. AFP