Air Force: Ukraine downs 20 drones overnight

Ukrainian air defense units destroyed all 20 Shahed-type drones that Russia launched overnight, the Air Force said in its morning update on April 9.

The drones were launched from Russia’s port town of Primorsko-Akhtarsk located on the coast of the Sea of Azov, and Cape Chauda in the occupied Crimea. Russian forces also targeted Ukraine with at least four S-300 missiles fired from the occupied parts of Donetsk Oblast. The Air Force didn't specify whether the missiles were intercepted.

The drones were shot down over Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Vinnytsia, and Lviv oblasts by fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile and electronic warfare units of the Air Force, and mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian army.

Overnight on April 9, explosions were heard in western Ukraine's Lviv Oblast. Regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi urged residents to remain in shelters. No casualties or injuries were reported as a result of the attacks.

Drone attacks are a daily occurrence in Ukraine, affecting various regions across the country. Overnight on April 8, Ukraine’s air defense downed 17 drones, and one Russian missile.

Russian forces continue to attack civilian areas far from the front line, with the recent series of intense bombardments targeting energy infrastructure in what is likely a mission to take out Ukraine's grid.

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