KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s Air Force said on Thursday its air defence systems shot down 34 of 44 Shahed drones that Russia launched overnight, while a regional official said no casualties were caused by the attack.
“Fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units and mobile fire groups were engaged to repel the attack,” the military said on the Telegram messaging app.
Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said his region was the main target, but the attack left no casualties.
“Our air defence forces did an excellent job,” Kiper said on Telegram.
“No hits or destruction. There were no casualties. There were only a few small fires on dry grass as a result of the falling wreckage of the downed Shahed.”
Ukraine’s southern seaport region of Odesa has suffered Russian drone and missile attacks since July, when Russia left a UN-brokered grain export deal that allowed Kyiv to ship its grain abroad.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Kim Coghill and Clarence Fernandez)
