Russia conducts rolling aerial attack on Ukraine, 400 drones in 24 hours

Russia has again followed an overnight drone barrage on Ukraine with heavy daytime attacks, a new tactic as Moscow tries to bypass Ukrainian air defences.

Max ​Hunder
Reuters
Ukrainian drones struck Russia's second-largest oil refinery and an oil and gas terminal at a Baltic Sea port near Finland, causing massive damage and halting production.

Russia is conducting a rolling aerial attack on Ukraine, Ukraine’s air force says, adding that a large number of enemy drones are in Ukrainian airspace.

The bombardment is the second time this week Russia has followed a overnight drone barrage with heavy daytime attacks, a new tactic as Moscow probes ways to penetrate Ukraine’s air defences.

“We can see that the enemy is using new routes, new drones which they are constantly modernising, and new tactics,” air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said on state television on Friday.

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He said Russia had launched more than 400 long-range drones in the past 24 hours, as well as 10 ballistic missiles that primarily targeted areas near the front line.

Ihnat said the bombardment was similar to an attack on Tuesday, which killed at least four people, when an overnight barrage of more than 300 drones was followed by another of similar size in the middle of the day.

Large-scale Russian bombardments cause disruption across Ukraine, as many government institutions, public transport services and businesses close during the attack, which can last many hours.

“The enemy is exerting (pressure) on our population, paralysing the work of certain public institutions, as well as learning institutions,” Ihnat said.

In the eastern region of Kharkiv, one person was killed and 25 others injured by missile, bomb and drone attacks in the past 24 hours, governor Oleh Synehubov said on social media.

That included four ballistic missiles that struck the regional capital, also called Kharkiv, overnight.

Authorities only reported one injury from that strike.

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