Ukrainian air defenses down 34 out of 43 drones launched by Russia overnight

Ukraine’s air defense forces neutralized 34 out of 43 drones launched by Russian forces in attacks beginning in the evening of Friday, May 8.

According to Ukrinform, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on Telegram.

Starting at 18:00 on May 8, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with an Iskander-M ballistic missile launched from temporarily occupied Crimea, as well as 43 strike drones, including Shahed UAVs, Gerbera and Italmas drones, and Parodiya decoy drones launched from the directions of Kursk, Oryol, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, and Millerovo.

The aerial assault was repelled by aviation units, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare units, unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups of Ukraine’s Defense Forces.

According to preliminary data, as of 08:00 on May 9, Ukrainian air defense had shot down or suppressed 34 drones in southern, northern, and eastern regions of the country.

Hits from the missile and nine strike drones were recorded at six locations, while debris from intercepted targets fell at two locations.

According to earlier reports, Russian forces carried out 738 strikes on 31 settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region over the past 24 hours. Two people were injured in the Zaporizhzhia district.