Ukraine shoots down Russian plane, 12 drones, Kh-59 missile in one morning

Ukraine’s air defense downed 12 Shahed drones, a Su-34 plane, and one Kh-59 missile on the morning of Feb. 18,  the Ukrainian Air Force reported.

The plane was shot down at 6 a.m. over eastern Ukraine. The drones and missile were downed in Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava, Kirovohrad, and Dnipro oblasts during an overnight and morning attack.

During the attack, Russia launched six S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles, three Kh-22 cruise missiles, a Kh-59 guided air missile, and 14 Shahed attack drones.

The Air Force doesn't disclose what targets were hit by the missiles and drones that weren't intercepted.

One drone struck an infrastructure facility in Poltava Oblast, according to the Head of the Poltava Regional Military Administration Philip Pronin.

“This caused a fire, which has already been extinguished. There were no casualties or injuries,” he wrote on his Telegram channel.

Russian shelling on the evening of Feb. 17 killed one person and injured another in Sumy Oblast. Russian missile strikes also killed at least two people in Sloviansk and Kramatork in Donetsk Oblast on the same evening.

During the afternoon of Feb. 17, Russian aerial bombs killed at least one person and injured five in Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast.

Ukraine's military shot down two Russian Su-34 fighter jets and another Russian Su-35 combat aircraft on the morning of Feb. 17.

Biden: US Congress to blame for fall of Avdiivka

“This morning, Ukraine’s military was forced to withdraw from Avdiivka after Ukrainian soldiers had to ration ammunition due to dwindling supplies as a result of congressional inaction, resulting in Russia’s first notable gains in months,” the White House statement said.

The Kyiv IndependentAbbey Fenbert