Ukraine downs 58 of Russian 132 drones launched overnight, Air Force reports

Ukrainian air defense intercepted 58 drones out of 132 launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported on its Telegram channel on Dec. 14.

The attack targeted 11 oblasts, primarily in southern and central Ukraine, with Russia deploying 132 Iranian-made Shahed drones, according to the report.

Defensive operations were carried out across all targeted oblasts, with air defense systems active in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kyiv, Poltava, Cherkasy, Vinnytsia, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kirovohrad.

The Air Force reported that 72 drones failed to reach their targets, while two returned to Russia.

The overnight assault followed a massive aerial attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure earlier on Dec. 13. During that offensive, Russia launched approximately 290 missiles and drones across multiple regions.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said at least 93 missiles were fired, including some supplied by North Korea, with Ukrainian forces successfully intercepting 81 of them. Eleven missiles were shot down by F-16 fighter jets.

Moscow’s forces also deployed nearly 200 drones in the Dec. 13 strike, which Zelensky described as "one of the largest against our energy grid."

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The Kyiv IndependentAbbey Fenbert