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Air Force: Russia has targeted Ukraine with around 3,800 drones since 2022

by The Kyiv Independent news desk December 31, 2023 3:01 PM 1 min read
Remains of a Shahed 136 at an exhibition showing fragments of missiles and drones that Russia used to attack Kyiv on May 12, 2023. (Oleksii Samsonov /Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Russia has launched around 3,800 kamikaze drones at Ukraine since September 2022, Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said on national television on Dec. 31.

The use of kamikaze drones was incorporated by Russia into its arsenal back in September 2022, along with the use of ballistic and cruise missiles, the latter of which are more expensive to produce.

The aim has been to overwhelm Ukraine's air defense capabilities.

While Ukraine's air defense successfully took out most of those drones, air defense remains a significant issue going into 2024, according to Ihnat.

"About 3,000 of those drones were destroyed by the Defense Forces. That is something to think about. We still need more systems to counteract strike drones," he said.

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