Ukraine's ports have established their own air defense units, and the first drones have been shot down — Kuleba
As part of a pilot project, dedicated air defense units have begun operating in Ukrainian ports. According to Kuleba, these units have already achieved initial results and destroyed enemy drones.
Deputy Prime Minister for Recovery and Minister of Community and Territorial Development Oleksiy Kuleba announced this on Telegram.
“Special air defense units are operating effectively in Ukrainian ports. These are units formed from enterprise employees—primarily veterans of full-scale war. We already have our first shoot-downs,” the message reads.
Kuleba emphasized that state-owned enterprises are directly involved in protecting critical infrastructure, but organizationally, the units are subordinate to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Today, ports remain among the key targets of Russian attacks. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, over 900 port infrastructure facilities have been damaged or partially destroyed, including 177 civilian vessels. The intensity of drone attacks is increasing: while 75 UAVs were recorded in the first four months of last year, this year the number has already exceeded 800.
Despite this, the ports continue to operate—since the beginning of 2026, nearly 30 million tons of cargo have been handled.
The number of casualties from a Russian missile strike has risen in Merefa.
On the morning of May 4, Russian terrorists launched a missile strike on the city of Merefa in the Kharkiv region. Preliminary reports indicate the strike was carried out using an Iskander ballistic missile.
As a result of a drone attack on Zaporizhzhia carried out by the aggressor country on Sunday, nine civilians were injured. Among the victims is a two-year-old child, and the ages of those injured range from 2 to 67 years old.
On the afternoon of May 3, Russian troops launched missile strikes on Ukraine, resulting in several explosions being heard in Dnipro.
