Overnight on January 17-18, Russia launched an attack on Ukraine involving 33 Shahed-136/131 drones. Ukrainian air defense units successfully intercepted and destroyed 22 of those Russian drones.
The Ukrainian Air Force and the Defence Forces of Ukraine provided an update on Telegram, stating,
“We have successfully downed 22 Russian UAVs, while a few more drones failed to reach their intended targets.”
Russia launched drones from Primorsko-Akhtarsk in southern Russia and Kursk Oblast bordering northern Ukraine. Additionally, Kharkiv Oblast was targeted with two S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles launched from Belgorod Oblast.
Most drones attempted to target the southern and northern regions of Ukraine. Ukrainian Air Force used anti-aircraft units, mobile firing groups, and electronic warfare tools to repel the attack in Sumy, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, and Khmelnytskyi oblasts.