Air Force: Ukraine has shot down nearly 500 drones launched by Russia since September

Since Sep. 11, the Ukrainian military has shot down nearly 500 drones launched by Russia, according to Yuriy Ihnat, the spokesman for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

He said on television that 84 of these drones were launched in the first two days of 2023, and all of them were downed.

“100% of drones were shot down by the air defense. We have never achieved such results," Ihnat said.

Asked whether Russia is running out of supplies, the spokesman said that “everything will depend on the Iranian capacity and willingness to continue supplying such drones.”

Russia uses Iranian-produced kamikaze drones, along with missiles, to attack critical infrastructure across Ukraine. Since early October, these repeated attacks have killed dozens of civilians and caused power, water, and heating cut-offs in multiple Ukrainian regions.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 19 that Russia had received a new batch of 250 Iranian drones.

How Russia uses Iranian drones to try to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defense

The Kyiv Independent