Ukraine says destroyed 26 out of 38 Shahed drones launched by Russia overnight

Ukrainian air defense forces destroyed 26 out of the 38 Shahed attack drones launched by Russia overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Tuesday.

“The air defense forces and assets of the Air Force, in cooperation with units of other elements of Ukraine's defense forces, destroyed 26 Shahed-136/131 attack UAVs,” the Air Force said on Telegram.

It added that the drones were launched from the south-eastern direction (Primorskokrs, Russia, and Cape Chauda, Crimea). “Fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units, and mobile fire groups were used to shoot down the drones.”

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Furthermore, the Air Force said its tactical aviation carried out more than 40 sorties, 20 of which were aimed at destroying Russian targets by fire.

On the other hand, the Russian defense ministry reported that it shot down at least five Ukrainian drones in Russia’s Kursk Region bordering Ukraine.

It added that Russian air defenses destroyed at least nine Ukrainian drones over the Belgorod Region, according to state news agency TASS. “On the evening of September 25, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack by fixed-wing UAVs against facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation was stopped. On-duty air defense assets destroyed [nine] Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the Belgorod Region,” the ministry said.

Additionally, the Russian ministry added that it downed a drone over the Black Sea by air defenses.

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