Ukraine Claims To Disable 35 Iranian-made Drones Launched By Russia To Several Cities

Illustration of the launch of the Shahed-136 drone made in Iran. (Twitter/@inbarspace)

JAKARTA - Ukraine's top military command said on Monday its troops had destroyed a total of 35 units, the Iranian-made Shahed drone launched by Russia overnight to various targets in the country's territory.

"The Russian Federation (also) launched 16 missile attacks overnight, particularly in the cities of Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv and the Odesa region," the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in its daily update.

Furthermore, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces added that 61 airstrikes and 52 attacks from heavy rocket salvo fire systems were launched over the past day against Ukrainian troop positions and populated areas.

"Unfortunately, there were civilians who were killed and injured, graded buildings, private houses, and other damaged civilian infrastructure," the report said.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the report.

Meanwhile, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, said that at least five people were injured in the capital in the midst of damage to buildings and infrastructure.

As previously reported, Ukraine is preparing for a retaliatory attack to retake Russian-occupied areas through the February invasion last year, where preparations are said to have entered the stage last weekend.