Russian forces launch Shahed kamikaze drones on western Ukraine; Ukrainian Air Force successfully intercepts attacks

Overnight, Russian forces launched multiple Shahed kamikaze drones targeting western Ukraine. The Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported air alerts across western and southern Ukraine, including Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts.

Following this, explosions were noted in Vinnytsia. By 3 a.m., drones reached central areas of Lviv, Ukraine’s largest western city, striking nearby Malekhov and injuring a 70-year-old security guard.

The air alert in western Ukraine was lifted by 5:30 a.m. The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed intercepting 19 out of 21 drones across regions including Kherson, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Khmelnytskyi, and Lviv.

Meanwhile, in Rostov, Russia, a fire at a fuel depot in the port of Azov continued after a Ukrainian drone strike. Reports indicated no casualties, and efforts to extinguish the fire involved over 70 firefighters and 21 units of equipment. Anonymous sources suggested the Security Service of Ukraine conducted the strike.

Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil infrastructure have become frequent, impacting refining capacities significantly over the year. Earlier advice from the U.S. to avoid such attacks hasn’t curbed these efforts, with targeted facilities including an oil refinery in Novosakhatinsk and an oil depot in Belgorod. Estimates of the affected refining capacity range from 600,000 to 900,000 barrels daily.