Air defense forces shot down five cruise missiles and 279 drones that the Russians had been using to attack Ukraine since the evening
On the night of May 30, Russia launched a massive air strike against Ukraine, using missiles and hundreds of drones; however, air defense forces managed to neutralize most of the targets. Air defense forces shot down and intercepted 5 cruise missiles and 279 drones, although some strikes still reached specific locations. The Ukrainian Air Force reported this on Telegram.
Ukraine endured another large-scale nighttime attack that lasted for hours and involved the simultaneous use of missiles and various types of drones, as Russian forces attempted to overwhelm the air defense system and strike targets across the country.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, “Starting at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, May 29, the Russians attacked Ukraine with an Iskander-M ballistic missile from the Bryansk region, six Kh-101 cruise missiles from the Vologda region, as well as 290 Shahed-type strike UAVs, ‘Gerbera’ “Italmas,” and “Parody”-type decoy drones from various directions within the Russian Federation and the temporarily occupied Crimea,” which effectively constituted a complex, multi-layered attack from several directions simultaneously.
All available defense forces repelled the air attack—aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units, mobile fire groups, as well as electronic warfare systems operating across the country, attempting to minimize the number of targets that could penetrate into populated areas.
According to preliminary data as of this morning, air defense forces shot down or neutralized 284 aerial targets, including 5 Kh-101 cruise missiles and 279 drones, and although most strikes were intercepted in the air, 9 strike UAVs were confirmed to have hit seven locations, with debris falling at ten additional sites.
It is also reported that some of the missiles did not reach their targets; however, final information regarding their trajectories and consequences is being clarified, and as of this morning, individual enemy drones remained in the country’s airspace, indicating that the threat persists.
On the night of May 29, drones attacked fuel infrastructure facilities in Russia, resulting in fires at an oil depot in Armavir and at the port of Taganrog.
Over the past 24 hours, 291 combat engagements were recorded on the front lines between the Ukrainian Defense Forces and Russian troops, with the most intense fighting continuing in the Pokrovsk direction.
Over the past day, the Russian army lost another 1,430 soldiers in the war against Ukraine. Ukrainian defenders also destroyed dozens of artillery systems, hundreds of vehicles, and nearly 1,800 drones.
