Air Force: Ukraine downs all 35 attack drones launched by Russia overnight

Ukrainian air defenses shot down all of the 35 Shahed "kamikaze" drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported on Jan. 2.

The attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) were reportedly launched from Cape Chauda in occupied Crimea and from the Primorsko-Akhtarsk district of Russia's Krasnodar Krai.

Around 15 Shaheds reportedly targeted Kyiv, before the city was targeted by missiles.

In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukrainian defenses downed six drones, Governor Serhii Lysak said. Falling debris reportedly damaged a power line in the Kryvyi Rih area, causing power outages.

In Mykolaiv Oblast, drone wreckage fell on a garage and caused a fire, which was promptly extinguished by emergency services, according to Governor Vitalli Kim.

The drone strike was followed several hours later by a mass missile strike that targeted Kyiv and Kharkiv, killing at least two people and injuring almost 70 others, local officials said.

Ukrainian air defenses downed over 60 Kh-101/555/55 cruise missiles and around ten Kinzhal missiles targeting the capital, said the head of the Kyiv city military administration, Serhii Popko.

Russia began to intensify attacks against Ukraine's cities and infrastructure in the winter months, mirroring its strategy from last year.

UPDATED: Russia launches mass missile strikes against Kyiv, Kharkiv

Russia launched a large-scale missile attack against Ukraine in the early hours of Jan. 2, targeting Kyiv and Kharkiv, local officials reported. At least two women were killed, and almost 70 people were injured in the two cities.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek