Ukrainian Air Force Thwarts Russia's Iranian Drone Offensive

The Ukrainian air force announced on Saturday its successful interception of nine out of 14 Iran-made drones launched by Russia across southern and central regions overnight.

The primary targets of the kamikaze drones were energy facilities in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, exacerbating the power outages initiated by Russian strikes on Friday.

"Ukraine's air force neutralized nine enemy drones in the Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Mykolaiv, and Zhytomyr regions," stated the air force, emphasizing that the majority of the Iranian-manufactured Shahed drones targeted "energy infrastructure facilities" in Dnipropetrovsk.

Sergey Lysak, the regional head, confirmed that 15,000 residents in the city were left without electricity following the drone attacks.

Despite the absence of casualties, two private residences suffered damage.

Throughout its nearly two-year offensive, Russia has persistently targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure, leaving thousands without heating.

Since mid-2022, Iran has played a pivotal role as a supplier of kamikaze UAVs to Russia, extensively utilized for targeting civilian infrastructure and urban areas.

With a price tag of roughly $20,000 apiece, the kamikaze drones were deployed alongside missile strikes to overpower Ukrainian air defenses.

The United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Australia, and New Zealand have all enforced numerous rounds of sanctions against the Islamic Republic, citing its supply of drones to Russia amidst the Ukraine conflict.