Russian Defense Ministry Says Destroyed 1,000 Ukrainian UAVs
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that almost 1,000 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been destroyed since the start of the war in Ukraine on February 24.
"In total, since the start of the special military operation, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 174 planes, 125 helicopters, 977 unmanned aerial vehicles, 317 anti-aircraft missile systems, 3,198 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 408 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,622 field artillery guns and mortars, as well as 3,077 units of special military vehicles," Maj. Gen. Konashenkov said, according to Sputnik.
Konashenkov added that the Russian air forces overnight hit 26 personnel and military equipment hubs and destroyed three control centers and an ammunition storage facility, adding that Russian high-precision missiles hit another 13 personnel and military equipment hubs and destroyed four ammunition depots.
"As a result of the strikes, more than 210 nationalists were killed, 38 units of Ukrainian military equipment were disabled," the spokesman said.
Konashenkov added that Russian missile defense systems intercepted overnight two Ukrainian missiles launched from the Smerch heavy multiple rocket launchers.
Russia launched what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine in late February, saying Kiev has failed to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements.
Western countries have responded by backing Ukraine with cash and increasingly heavy weaponry while imposing sanctions against Moscow.
The conflict in Ukraine has killed thousands of people and displaced more than 13 million, creating the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.
