Air Force: Ukraine downs 18 drones, 1 missile launched by Russia overnight

Ukrainian forces downed 18 of the 25 Shahed attack drones and one of the two Kh-59 cruise missiles launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported on Dec. 1.

The drones were reportedly launched from Cape Chauda in occupied Crimea and from Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia's Krasnodar Krai. The missiles were fired from planes flying over occupied Kherson Oblast, according to the report.

The main direction of the attack was Ukraine's south and east, the Air Force said. Air defense was reportedly active in Mykolaiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts.

Russian forces launched a drone attack of a similar scale on Nov. 29, attacking Ukraine with 21 drones, all of which were shot down.

Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia is likely to intensify its air strikes against civilian targets as the winter is setting in.

Despite Republican hesitance on Ukraine aid, red states reap economic benefits

Amid signs of a growing reluctance among U.S. Republicans to continue aid for Ukraine, proponents have been trying a new narrative – highlighting that a considerable amount of the money the U.S. spends actually goes toward the domestic defense industry, funneling jobs and investments back to the U.S…

The Kyiv IndependentNate Ostiller