Ukraine repels complex multi-weapon Russian strike, military reports

The Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine in the early hours of January 20, deploying a combination of missiles and hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles.

According to the military, the assault involved one Zircon anti-ship missile, 18 Iskander-M and S-300 ballistic missiles, 15 Kh-101 cruise missiles, and a total of 339 drones, approximately 250 of which were Shahed-type attack UAVs.

The primary axis of the strike was the Kyiv region, though Russian attacks were also recorded in Kyiv city as well as the Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and Poltava regions.

Ukraine’s air defence forces intercepted 342 aerial targets, including 14 ballistic missiles, 13 cruise missiles, and 315 drones. Despite the high interception rate, five missiles and 24 attack drones struck 11 locations. In addition, debris from intercepted drones fell across 12 other areas. The status of two missiles remains under clarification, and the attack was still ongoing at the time of reporting.

Earlier on January 19, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had received “the necessary missiles” a day before the attack, a development he said significantly enhanced the country’s air defence response. He underscored the critical importance of continued supplies of ammunition for Patriot, NASAMS, and other air defence systems to protect the population.

By Vafa Guliyeva