Ukrainian President Says 359 Iranian Drones Intercepted In 2024

The Ukrainian President announced that the country's air defense has intercepted and downed 359 Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones since the start of 2024.

Since September 2022, Russia has been employing Iranian-designed Shahed-type loitering munitions to carry out attacks on Ukrainian cities, resulting in frequent civilian casualties.

“The accuracy of our air defense, the work of the electronic warfare systems, and the support from each of our partners in terms of the sky shield literally save lives,” Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday.

Zelensky further stated that Ukraine is actively working to enhance the efficiency of mobile firing groups and to deploy more electronic warfare systems across various regions of the country. “This is one of the key priorities of the year,” said Zelensky.

On Sunday morning, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched an attack on Ukraine using 45 drones from occupied Crimea.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Russian military has been utilizing occupied territories such as Crimea as launch sites for missiles and other weapons targeting Ukraine.

The United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Australia, and New Zealand have collectively implemented multiple rounds of sanctions against the Islamic Republic due to its provision of drones to Russia. Iran continues to deny the allegations.