Ukraine says it destroys 20 drones launched by Russia overnight

KYIV, April 9 — Ukraine’s air defence systems destroyed 20 attack drones launched by Russia overnight targeting seven Ukrainian regions across the country, Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said today.

The drones were destroyed over southern Mykolaiv, Odesa, and Kherson regions, central regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, and Vinnytsia, as well as Lviv in the west, Oleshchuk said on the Telegram messaging app.

Russian forces launched Shahed drones in several waves, targeting critical infrastructure and power facilities, Ukrainian military and regional officials said.

Maksym Kozytskyi, Lviv’s regional governor, said drone wreckage had damaged a critical infrastructure facility in the west of the country, causing a fire.

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In the southern Odesa region, power lines were destroyed by the debris, governor Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said equipment at an energy facility was damaged in the central Poltava region.

Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine’s power sector in recent weeks, targeting energy-generating facilities and other key infrastructure.

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Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched four missiles from S-300 surface-to-air missile systems, but provided no details on what happened to those missiles. — Reuters