Ukrainian officials said that Russia had fired 31 Shahed drones in total, mainly at Kharkiv and Odesa but also at Reni and Izmail in Ukraine’s Danube Delta. Of the 31 drones fired at Ukraine, Ukraine’s Air Force said that 23 were shot down.
The attacks on Odesa, Reni and Izmail appear to mirror earlier Russian tactics of attacking port and grain export infrastructure. Odesa is Ukraine’s largest port and ports at Reni and Izmail are important for sending grain to Europe through the Danube River.
While Russian ministers have boasted of increasing arms production and signing supply deals with North Korea, Ukrainian commanders have complained that they are running short of arms supplied by their Western allies.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned that the recent waves of Russian air attacks are stretching its resources.
Yury Ihnat, an air force spokesman, told national television recently: “Intense Russian air attacks force us to use a corresponding amount of air defence means. That’s why we need more of them, as Russia keeps increasing its attack capabilities.”
