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Ukraine downs 18 Russian drones over Odesa: officials

05.03.2024 09:00
Russia launched 22 attack drones against Ukraine overnight into Tuesday, with air defence systems destroying 18 of the weapons over the southern Odesa region, Ukraine's air force said.
A residential building damaged in a Russian drone attack on the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa, March 2, 2024.
A residential building damaged in a Russian drone attack on the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa, March 2, 2024.Photo: EPA/IGOR TKACHENKO

"On the night of March 5, 2024, the enemy attacked with 22 Shahed-type attack drones launched from the Balaklava-Crimea areas," the Ukrainian air force said on the Telegram messaging app, as cited by Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform.

It added that "anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force and mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defense Forces were involved in repelling the air attack," according to Ukrinform.

Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Tuesday that the Ukrainian air force "launched six strikes on enemy manpower clusters and hit one UAV ground control station" over the past 24 hours, Ukrinform reported.

“A total of 63 combat engagements took place on the frontline over the past day," the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Facebook.

It added that "the enemy launched five missile attacks and 66 air strikes and carried out 108 attacks involving multiple launch rocket systems at the Ukrainian positions and populated areas."

The Ukrainian military also said that there were dead and wounded among the civilian population as a result of Russian attacks, and that "private residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure were destroyed and damaged,” Ukrinform reported.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.

Tuesday is day 741 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters, ukrinform.net