Ukrainian air defense units destroyed 17 of the 22 Shahed-type drones that Russia launched overnight, the Air Force reported on March 18.
The drones were launched from Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia's Krasnodar Krai region.
Russian forces also launched five S-300 surface-to-air guided missiles onto Kharkiv Oblast, as well as two Kh-59 guided missiles onto Sumy Oblast. No information was provided by the Air Force as to the outcome of the missile launches.
The drones were intercepted over Kyiv, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia, and Rivne oblasts.
Mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Air Force were involved in repelling the air attacks.
Drone attacks are a daily occurrence in Ukraine, affecting various regions across the country. Overnight on March 17, Ukraine’s air defense downed 35 Russian drone launched at Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities have continuously expected Russian attacks over the course of the winter, with Moscow focusing on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and other civilian sites.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
