The Russian military launched a combined missile and suicide drone attack on Ukraine in the early hours of September 17 in an attempt to confuse and deplete Ukraine’s air defenses, Natalia Humeniuk, head of the press service of the Southern Defense Forces, said on September 17 in Ukrainian State television. 17.
The enemy used various drones, including reconnaissance drones, and air-launched missiles, which led to “massive air alert” overnight, Humeniuk said.
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An air alert sounded at 4:30 a.m. in many eastern areas of the country. It sounded at 4:51 a.m. in the capital Kiev, and all oblasts in the north, center, south and east of the country were on alert. By 5:30 a.m. the alarm had already spread westward and sirens were blaring across the country.
Humeniuk said the Russians tried to confuse and exhaust Ukraine’s air defenses with missiles that controlled complex flight paths and maneuvered extensively.
“They are trying to both deplete and circumvent the air defense system,” she said.
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“The enemy has used this attack method before and tried to find the most effective ways to maneuver.”
Ukrainian air defense managed to shoot down 12 out of 16 incoming enemy weapons – six out of six Shahed attack drones and six out of ten cruise missiles, for a kill rate of 75%.
However, a farm in Odessa Oblast was hit by rockets. Rescue workers were dispatched to the scene, but there were no reports of injuries.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine.