Ukraine says 21 Iranian-made drones intercepted

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Ukrainian air forces on Wednesday morning announced that they had shot down 21 Iranian-made drones launched from Russia into the country overnight, marking the third such attack on the capital Kyiv over the past week.

A total of 26 Shahed-136/131 kamikaze drones were fired from north and south Russia towards Ukrainian land, with Ukrainian forces using anti-aircraft missile weapons to shoot down 21 of the UAVs.

All of the drones that targeted the capital city of Kyiv were intercepted, according to the Ukrainian defense ministry.

Last night, russian terrorists once again used drones to attack peaceful Ukrainian cities. This was third nighttime attack on Kyiv within past six days. 21 of the 26 drones were shot down. In the capital city, none of them were able to hit the target.

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) May 3, 2023

“The enemy tactics remain traditional and unchanged – with the onset of the dark, the terrorist state launched the barrage from various areas," Ukrainian state media cited Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, as saying.

Popko added that no casualties were reported.

Iran has been accused of supplying Russia with drones for use against Ukraine, leading to a barrage of international sanctions and condemnations.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian last week once again rejected the allegations that it has supplied Russia with drones for use in its invasion of Ukraine, saying Tehran is not providing assistance to either side of the war.

Ukraine has received large amounts of military support and air defenses from its Western allies, making it difficult for Russian warplanes to target the country. Explosive drones have become a cheaper and more efficient weapon for Russia.