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Air Force reports downing 52 Russian drones overnight

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Air Force reports downing 52 Russian drones overnight
Fragments of a Russian Shahed-type drone lie on the ground at the site in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Nov. 7, 2024. (Roman Petushkov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Ukraine shot down 52 attack drones, including the Shahed type, that Russia launched against the country overnight, the Air Force reported on Dec. 22.

The Air Force added that it lost track of 44 decoy drones that Russia launched alongside the real attack drones. One drone flew away toward Belarus, according to the report.

Over the past several months, Russia has intensified its drone attacks across Ukraine, often targeting critical infrastructure to deprive civilians of power, water, and gas.

On Dec. 22, drones were shot down over 12 Ukrainian oblasts, such as Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia, the Air Force reported.

Apartment buildings and private businesses are among the sites damaged due to the Russian attacks, according to the Air Force. No casualties have been reported thus far, it added.

Russia is launching about 10 times as many Shahed-type drones against Ukraine compared to last fall, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in November. The Air Force has reported a sharp rise in Russia's drone attacks, from 2,023 drones deployed in October to 2,576 in November.

Russian drone strikes against Ukraine are surging to record levels — how bad can it get?
For the third month in a row, the number of Shahed-type kamikaze drones launched by Russia at Ukraine surged to record levels. According to figures from Ukraine’s Air Force, Moscow deployed a total of 2,576 drones during November, up from 2,023 the month before. And the Kremlin clearly
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"The Russians personally visited the central districts of Kyiv, in particular Independence Square, assessed the situation on the spot and further adjusted... the operational plan of neutralizing protest actions with the forceful dispersal of demonstrators," the State Bureau of Investigation said.

"Last night, Poland's airspace was breached 19 times by drones manufactured in Russia. The assessment of Polish and NATO air forces is that they did not veer off course, but were deliberately targeted," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in a video statement.

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Poland, NATO’s eastern frontline state, is facing its most serious security challenge in decades. Western officials have warned of the risk of a direct confrontation with Russia in the coming years, but are Poland — and NATO — truly prepared for such escalation?

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