Ukraine’s Air Force and Defence Forces achieved a notable overnight success by intercepting and downing all nine Shahed drones launched by Russian forces.
The drones, launched from Cape Chauda in temporarily occupied Crimea, were shot down within the airspace of Kherson, Mykolaiv, Khmelnytskyi, Poltava, Cherkasy, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts. This coordinated defensive effort represents a significant deterrent against the persistent aerial attacks that have become a characteristic feature of the conflict. As per the Ukrainian Air Force’s statement on Telegram, “All nine Shahed attack drones that the Russians used to bombard Ukraine on the night of 15-16 April were downed.”
These developments come at a time when Ukraine is grappling with a variety of pressing issues on multiple fronts. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a new mobilization bill into law, aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s armed forces amid the intense struggle.
Zelensky’s administration has also had to address the fallout from significant Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. In an interview with PBS NewsHour, Zelensky revealed that the destruction of the Trypillia Thermal Power Plant (TPP) in Kyiv Oblast was attributed to Ukraine’s depleted missile defense stocks. “There were 11 missiles flying. We destroyed the first seven, and four (remaining) destroyed Trypillia. Why? Because there were zero missiles. We ran out of missiles to defend Trypillia,” he said.
The broader context of the war also includes the profound humanitarian toll it has taken on the civilian population. The Kherson Oblast Prosecutor’s Office reported that 15 civilians suffered concussions due to a Russian airstrike on the city of Beryslav in Kherson Oblast.
Relevant articles:
– Ukrainian defenders down all Russian attack drones overnight
– Air Force: Ukraine downs 9 out of 9 Russian drones launched overnight, Kyiv Independent, Tue, 16 Apr 2024 04:35:40 GMT
– Russian weapons help Iran harden defenses against Israeli airstrike, The Washington Post, Tue, 16 Apr 2024 01:07:00 GMT
– Ukraine-Russia war live: Major power plant destroyed as Kyiv has zero missiles to protect it, Zelensky says, Yahoo News Canada, Tue, 16 Apr 2024 06:57:57 GMT