KYIV: Ukrainian air defences shot down around 24 out of 52 drones launched by Russian forces during overnight strikes on eight regions across Ukraine, the air force claimed on Saturday. It said in a statement on social media that 25 Shahed drones had fallen on their own and 3 others had flown towards Belarus and Russia. However, there were no reports of anybody being injured in the strikes or of any major damage being caused.
According to Reuters news agency, Ukraine uses electronic warfare and mobile hunting groups as well as aircrafts to repel Russian strikes. Air alerts sounded many times during the overnight drone strikes, with many citizens rushing to shelters in the middle of the night. In Kyiv, where alerts lasted for around four hours, it was the fourth drone strike this week, officials stated. All drones targeting the main city were downed and no major damage was reported, officials said.
Zelensky Fires Commander of Air Force
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has fired the commander of the country’s air force Friday, four days following an F-16 plane that Ukraine received from its West crashed during a Russian bombardment and killed the pilot. The order to terminate Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk has been published on the presidential website.
“We need to secure people. Protect security personnel. Take care of all our troops,” Zelensky stated in an address minutes following the order was issued. He was of the view that Kyiv needs to strengthen its military on the command level. He was appointed acting commander of Ukraine’s air force, the army’s general staff stated.
The development came on the same day that Oleshchuk has directed scathing criticism at a MP who is deputy head of the Ukrainian parliament’s defense committee for her statement that the F-16 was downed by a Patriot air-defense system. Kyiv has received an unspecified number of the US-made systems.
