On the night of January 14, Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukrainian territory using 80 Shahed attack drones. The launches were carried out from four directions.
Points of attention
- The Ukrainian Air Force carried out a successful defense, shooting down 58 Shahed attack drones during a large-scale Russian attack.
- British intelligence indicates a significant decrease in Russian activity in December 2024, compared to the previous month.
- According to intelligence, weather conditions may affect the frequency and scale of Russian drone attacks on Ukraine.
- The Ukrainian Air Force shot down 53% of the Russian drones during the attack, some drones were disabled by electronic warfare.
- Private and apartment buildings, cars, and property of citizens were damaged by the Russian attack, but there are no preliminary casualties, and assistance is being provided to the victims.
The Air Force revealed details of the Russian attack on Ukraine
According to the Air Force, from 6:30 p.m. on January 13, the enemy attacked with strike drones and simulator drones of various types. The launches took place from the Millerovo, Orel, Kursk, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk areas.
The attack was repelled by aviation assets, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units, as well as mobile fire groups of the Air Force and Defense Forces of Ukraine.
As of 09:00 on January 14, it was confirmed that 58 Shahed attack drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down in the following regions: Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Odesa, and Kherson.
It is also known that 21 enemy drone simulators were disabled without negative consequences for Ukraine.
British intelligence analyzed Russian drone attacks on Ukraine
According to intelligence data, in December 2024, Russia carried out about 1,700 launches of strike drones of various types over the territory of Ukraine. This is less than in November, when the number of launches reached 2,300.
Thus, for the first time since March-April 2024, a decrease in activity was recorded.
British intelligence suggests that weather conditions may have played a role, as evidenced by periods of low or no activity alternating with waves of attacks in which more than 100 drones were launched overnight.
Attack results:
The Ukrainian Air Force shot down 53% of Russian drones.
Other drones were disabled by electronic warfare or deviated from course without causing significant damage.
British analysts noted that the monthly number of attacks could be influenced by various factors, but Russia is likely to be able to maintain the launch rate at at least 1,500 drones per month.