Stellar Ukrainian air defense performance praised by Zelensky as over 60 Russian missiles shot down

Over 60 out of just over 70 Russian cruise missiles were shot down on Dec. 5 by Ukrainian air defense and planes, according to figures published by the Ukrainian Air Force. 

38 Kh-101 and Kh-555 air-launched cruise missiles were launched from southern Russian and the Caspian Sea, while 22 sea-launched Kalibrs and nine assorted air-launched missiles were fired from the Black Sea, the Air Force wrote on Telegram.

Speaking in his regular evening address to the nation, president Volodymyr Zelensky sincerely thanked the Ukrainian air defense forces, confirming that the vast majority of the Russian missiles were successfully shot down. 

In Russia's eighth mass missile strike on Ukraine, explosions were reported in Lviv, Ternopil, Vinnytsia, and Khmelnytskyi oblasts, as well as in Odesa, Kryvyi Rih, and Kharkiv.

According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine’s energy system is functioning and remains intact, however, the energy facilities were hit in the Kyiv, Vinnytsia, and Odesa oblasts. Emergency power outages were implemented in several regions, the PM said.

According to Zelensky, emergency services are already working on restoring the electricity. "Our people will never give up," he said.