Kyiv (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Ukrainian Air Force said its air defences destroyed 33 out of 70 drones launched by Russia. It added that another 37 drones had been “locationally lost” without any adverse consequences, typically a connection to electronic jamming.
Right from the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, Ukraine’s air force has been busy destroying Russian drones. Earlier, Ukraine was finding it difficult to shoot down Russian drones because it had weak air defence systems. However, with the assistance of international support and advanced systems, their efficiency improved many times over.
In the last two months, Russia has stepped up its drone attacks on Ukraine. On February 14, a Russian drone with a high-explosive warhead struck the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in the Kyiv region. The strike struck the concrete shelter that protects the plant’s destroyed former fourth power unit, flashing a fire that was later extinguished. Chornobyl was the location of the 1986 tragedy that spread radioactivity throughout parts of the Soviet Union and Europe.
How has Russia increased drone attacks on Ukraine?
Russia has flown thousands of Shahed-type drones against Ukraine since 2022. Although with a high interception rate by the Ukrainian military, approximately 14% of them have successfully infiltrated defences.
Late January and early February witnessed Russian drones targeting key infrastructure across Ukraine. For example, on January 28th, the city of Uman (Cherkasy Oblast) saw drones attack key infrastructure, disrupting the supply of electricity and heating supplies.
As of August 2024, almost more than 7,550 Shahed-type and other UAVs were flown against Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force has an average overall interception rate that fluctuates but is generally around 63% for aggregated drone types (Shahed and Lancet). For Shaheds alone, approximately 86% are intercepted on average.
