The armed forces of Ukraine destroyed “fifteen Russian drones” overnight, the Ukrainian army said on Saturday morning.
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It claimed that a total of 17 Iranian-made Shahed-brand demolition drones were used in an airstrike, without providing details on what happened to the remaining two drones.
Russian forces attacked “from the north” with Shahed drones. “A total of 17 attack drones were launched from the Kursk region,” the Ukrainian army wrote on Telegram.
Ukraine’s air defenses have been activated “in the northern and central regions as well as in the west” of the country, she added.
Both sides of the conflict, which began in February 2022, have recently reported regular drone strikes by air and sea, while Ukraine is in the midst of a counter-offensive to remove its territory from Russian control.
Since the end of a deal that allowed Ukrainian grain exports, Moscow has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine’s Black Sea and Danube port infrastructure.
On Friday, Russia said it had destroyed Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow and its fleet in the Black Sea.
On the front in southern Ukraine, Ukrainian troops entered and took up positions in the Russian-held area of Kherson on the east bank of the Dnieper, the region’s Moscow-installed governor confirmed.
On Friday, the United States announced that it had given Denmark and the Netherlands the green light to send American F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine once Ukrainian pilots have been trained, in what was hailed as “great news” by Ukraine’s defense ministry Minister.