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Ukrainian Defence Forces shoot down 113 targets during massive Russian attack

Ukrainian Defence Forces shoot down 113 targets during massive Russian attack
Work of 37th Marine Brigade
Photo: 37th Marine Brigade

On the night of 25 December 2024, Russia launched a large-scale combined attack on Ukraine’s fuel and energy infrastructure using air-, land-, and sea-based missiles, along with Shahed attack UAVs and other imitation drones. Ukrainian air defence successfully intercepted 113 enemy targets.

According to the Air Force, radio engineering troops detected and tracked a total of 184 Russian air targets, including:

  • 2 KN-23 ballistic missiles launched from the Voronezh Region;
  • 10 S-300/S-400 anti-aircraft guided missiles launched from the Belgorod Region;
  • 12 Kalibr cruise missiles fired from the Black Sea;
  • 50 X-101/X-55cm cruise missiles launched from Tu-95MS bombers over the Volgograd Region and Caspian Sea;
  • 4 X-59/X-69 guided missiles launched from tactical aircraft in the Belgorod Region;
  • 106 Shahed attack UAVs and simulators from various launch areas in Russia, including Bryansk, Millerovo, and Orel.

Of the 184 detected targets, the Ukrainian Defence Forces successfully shot down:

  • 55 X-101, X-55cm, and Kalibr cruise missiles;
  • 4 X-59/X-69 guided missiles
  • 54 Shahed drones/simulators, with 52 others failing to reach their targets.

Russian forces targeted energy facilities across multiple Regions, including Kharkiv, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Zaporizhzhya. The attacks caused casualties and damage to critical infrastructure.

Photo: Air Force

Anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare systems, and mobile fire groups from the Air Force and Defence Forces were actively involved in repelling the assault.

  • President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier reported that more than 70 missiles and over 100 drones were part of the attack, with Russian forces deliberately timing the strikes for Christmas.