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Ukrainian soldiers shooting down Iraniana-made Shahed-136/131 drones on January 26, 2023, in the Kyiv region. Photo: Ukrinform/Vadym Sarakhan
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Ukrainian armed forces on Tuesday said they had shot down 28 out of 30 Iranian-made drones launched by Russia in an overnight “massive air and missile attack.”
Russia launched “another massive air and missile attack on Ukraine overnight. According to preliminary information, 28 out of 30 Shaheds launched by the enemy were destroyed,” a statement by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
The statement added that seven S-300 missiles launched towards Zaporizhzhia were also downed. Reports state that air raid sirens could be heard overnight for several hours in Kyiv.
No casualties have been reported in the overnight raids.
Iranian-made Shahed-136/131 drones have been repeatedly used by Russia in its attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, leading to a barrage of international sanctions and condemnations on Iran. Tehran said the drones it sent to Russia preceded the war in Ukraine, which broke out last February.
Last month, the Ukrainian parliament also approved a resolution submitted by President Volodymyr Zelensky to impose sanctions on Iran for a period of 50 years.
Zelensky on Wednesday slammed Iran for siding with the “evil” Russian state in its war on Ukraine and called on Iranians able to influence government decisions to refrain from siding with Moscow. In response, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said the Ukrainian president’s comments were a “political show” echoing “baseless allegations” against Tehran.
Ukraine launched its long-awaited counteroffensive two weeks ago to push back Russian forces from areas occupied by them. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the counteroffensive has not resulted in any success, but Ukraine has maintained strict silence to prevent any information from being leaked.
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