Ukrainian forces shot down dozens of missiles across the country on Wednesday as Russia launched its ninth barrage of the month.
Russia’s attack targeted the capital of Kyiv, as well as the coastal city of Odesa, among other cities. Ukrainian officials say their forces shot down 29 of the 30 missiles Russia launched, with the lone survivor striking an industrial target in Odesa and killing one person.
Ukraine’s air defenses have become substantially more robust in recent weeks with the addition of U.S.-made Patriot missiles. The defense system has drastically reduced the rate at which Russian missiles strike their targets.
Russia has maintained an unrelenting assault on Ukraine’s cities throughout May. Russian forces fired 18 missiles at Kyiv on Tuesday from the ground, sea and air, and all of them were intercepted before reaching their targets.
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Ukraine has become more successful at shooting down Russian missiles with the addition of U.S.-made Patriot missiles. However, flaming debris often lands within Ukraine’s cities. (National Police of Ukraine via AP)
No casualties were reported in the capital, though city officials said falling debris did start fires.
Thursday’s defense comes as Ukraine is widely expected to launch a spring counteroffensive in the coming weeks. Ukraine claimed on Friday it had recaptured ground in Bakhmut in a rare and significant shift in the war-ravaged region, but the move was not part of a larger offensive.
The Ukrainian military had no means to bringing down Russia’s hypersonic missiles until Western allies provided Patriot missile systems. (AP Photo/LIBKOS, File)
The city of Bakhmut has for months seen some of the most intense fighting of the war, with Wagner mercenaries opposing Ukrainian forces.
The Ukrainian port city of Odesa was struck by a missile on Thursday, the only missile of 30 to make it past Ukrainian air defenses. (Odesa City Hall Press Office via AP)
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The fighting grew so intense and costly for Wagner earlier this year that the group’s chief, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, reportedly offered to detail Russian troop positions in exchange for Ukraine backing down from the area.
