Ukraine's Zelensky says most drone ‘monsters’ launched by Russia downed

Russia has launched 4,500 missile strikes and carried out more than 8,000 air-raids on Ukraine since the beginning of its invasion in late February.

Ukraine has downed 23 out of more than 30 Iranian Shahed drones launched by Russia in the past two days, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy who called them “metal monsters.” Ukrainian forces also shot down a Kh-59 cruise missile, two Ka-52 attack helicopters and another Su-25 fighter jet during the same period.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. (AP file photo)

Russia has launched 4,500 missile strikes and carried out more than 8,000 air-raids on Ukraine since the beginning of its invasion in late February, Zelenskiy said in his regular nightly address to the nation. Russia and Iran deny transfer of the Shahed weapons.

Ukraine’s electricity-operator Ukrenergo is still struggling with power generation. The most recent attacks in central Ukraine will require consumers to cut power consumption, Ukrenergo wrote on its Telegram channel.

Russian forces struck Mykolaiv and several settlements in the Kharkiv region near the Ukrainian-Russian border overnight, local authorities said on Telegram. The Ukrainian army continued its counteroffensive in several areas, according to the General Staff. Citing Russian sources, the Institute for the Study of War reported that counteroffensive operations were conducted in the northeastern Kharkiv Region and along the Kreminna-Lysychansk line.

It also noted limited ground assaults by Ukrainian forces in the Kherson region, where Russian forces are continuing to make defensive preparations along the east bank of the Dnipro River. Russian forces continued offensive operations toward Bakhmut and Avdiivka in the Donetsk Region, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army.