Ukraine air defences down 29 out of 38 Iran-made Russian drones

Drones targeted Kyiv in the second attack this month

Ukrainian servicemen conduct air defence drills in the Chernihiv region. Reuters

Russia launched a major drone attack on Ukraine overnight, hitting infrastructure in the south and north of the country, the Ukrainian military said on Saturday.

Air defences shot down 29 out of 38 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched from Russian territory, Kyiv said.

The Ukrainian air force said the attack on various regions lasted from 8pm (6pm GMT) on Friday to 4am on Saturday.

The South military command said an energy infrastructure complex was hit in the southern Odesa region. An administrative building was also damaged and one civilian was wounded in the strike, it said on the Telegram messaging app.

In Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region, on the border with Russia and Belarus, two buildings were damaged during the overnight strike, the military said.

The drones also struck the capital Kyiv, in the second attack so far this month, officials said, adding that all drones heading to the capital were shot down on the approach.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has stepped up its attacks in the Black Sea and on Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

Kyiv has reported a series of strikes on warships on and near Crimea this autumn, including a large landing vessel and a submarine. Moscow regards Crimea as strategically vital to its interests.

Ukraine's military said on Friday its operations had resulted in the destruction of a total of 15 Russian naval vessels in the Black Sea since the start of Russia's invasion and that 12 other vessels had been damaged.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently said Kyiv had managed to shift the balance of power in the Black Sea.