Russia attacked Ukraine with 103 drones, says Zelenskyy

ISTANBUL

Russia on Saturday night attacked Ukraine with 103 Iranian-made Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday, while Moscow claimed to have destroyed 66 UAVs sent by Ukraine into Russian territory.

“Almost every day, we defend our skies against Russian missiles and drones. Just last night, Ukraine was attacked by 103 Shahed drones, which contained 8,755 foreign-made components,” Zelenskyy said on X.

In the past week, Russia deployed over 630 attack drones, about 740 guided aerial bombs, and nearly 50 missiles of different types, using more than 50,000 sanctioned components obtained from various countries worldwide, he added pointedly.

“The sanctions pressure on supply chains for foreign components remains insufficient. Russia continues to acquire the components and manufacturing tools it needs – almost globally – and uses them in the weapons it employs to terrorize Ukraine,” he said.

The Russian military shot down 61 UAVs, including 37 in the Rostov region, 20 in the Bryansk region, two in the Voronezh region, and one each in the Belgorod and Oryol regions, said the country’s Defense Ministry.

The statement added that in one two-hour period, Russian air defense systems destroyed five UAVs, three in the Belgorod region and two in the Kursk region.