Ukraine Shoots Down Russian Drones as 7 Civilians Die in Attacks

Ukrainian air defenses in southeastern Ukraine shot down 10 of 13 Iranian-made attack drones overnight, as officials reported that seven civilians had died in different incidents of Russian shelling. 

The drone attack targeted military and civilian targets in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine’s air force said, and explosions were heard in the city before dawn. 

“The night was restless again, but as of morning, the situation in Zaporizhzhia is stable,” Anatoly Kurtiev, secretary of the city council, said on Telegram. “Thank God, people and residential buildings were not injured.” He didn’t mention possible damage to military targets. 

The air force said the drones were launched from the Russian city of Primorsko-Akhtarsk on the eastern coast of the Azov Sea.

The overnight attack also included four Soviet-era S-300 missiles, a surface-to-air munition that Russia has been using to strike settlements close to the front line.

Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said that Ukraine’s air defense is unable to shoot down the S-300, the Kyiv Indpependent reported. S-300 batteries are a priority target for Ukrainian strikes.

Amid Ukraine’s ongoing counter-offensive to win back occupied lands in the east and south, six civilians were reported killed during Russian attacks in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia region, officials said.