Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia is preparing a long-term attack with drones to exhaust Ukrainian air defense. In just two days of the new year, the Defense Forces shot down more than 80 Shahed drones.
"This number may increase in the near future. We have information that Russia is planning a prolonged attack. Her bet may be on exhaustion. To the exhaustion of our people, our air defense, our energy. But we have to do — and we will do everything so that this goal of the terrorists fails, like all the others," the president assured.
Zelensky also noted the successful defense of the sky by the fighters of the "Center", "South" and "East" command. He paid special attention to the soldiers of the 96th Kyiv, 208th Kherson and 138th Dnipro anti-aircraft missile brigades, the 301st Nikopol anti-aircraft missile regiment of the Air Force, as well as the 39th anti-aircraft missile regiment of the Ground Forces. They themselves protected the sky in their directions as efficiently as possible.
- On the night of January 2, air defense forces shot down 22 air targets over Kyiv, and the day before they managed to destroy 32 of the 32 targets that Russia attacked the capital with.