Russia launches its biggest drone barrage against Ukraine in 7 months

KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian forces shot down all 89 Shahed drones launched by Russia in a nighttime attack on the country, Ukraine’s air force said Wednesday, in what was one of the largest drone barrages this year.

No damage or injuries were immediately reported in the bombardment, which mostly targeted the region of Kyiv, the capital.

Russia used the same number of Shahed drones in a Jan. 1 attack, an air force statement said.

Both Ukraine and Russia have relied extensively on explosive drones during the war and have scrambled to come up with more countermeasures.

The Russian drones are being shot down by Ukraine’s Soviet-era aircraft, according to Anatolii Khrapchynskyi, an aviation expert in Kyiv.

“The air force is using electronic jamming against the drones’ GPS which forces the drones to fly at a higher altitude, which then makes it easier for Ukrainian aircraft to strike them down," he told The Associated Press.

He said that tactic will likely also be used when U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets are delivered in coming weeks by Kyiv’s European partners.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces said they struck more military targets on Russian soil overnight.

They hit a warehouse for weapon storage and military equipment in the border region of Kursk, a statement from Ukraine’s General Staff said.

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