Ukrainian soldiers from the 112th Separate Brigade. Photo: Yevhen Vasyliev / Zuma Press

On the night of 8 December, the Ukrainian Defence Forces effectively countered a massive attack by the Russian military. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, two X-59/69 guided missiles and 18 drones, including Shahed attack drones, were destroyed.

The scale of the attack and the success of the defenders

The attack began at around 19:30 on Sunday when the Russian military launched 37 attack UAVs and two guided missiles from the Black Sea, Orel and Primorsko-Akhtarsk areas.

Air defence missile units, electronic warfare units and mobile firing groups of the Air Force successfully neutralised enemy threats in the skies over nine regions, including Sumy, Poltava, Dnipro, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, Ternopil and Odesa.

Losses and damage

The falling wreckage of downed drones in Vinnytsia region damaged the infrastructure of several private businesses.

One drone reportedly remains in the air, and combat operations continue.

The military calls on citizens to follow safety rules during air alerts and not to ignore warnings. Defenders continue to work to minimise threats from Russian attacks.