Russia launched a massive drone attack against Ukraine overnight on 5 January 2025, deploying 103 unmanned aerial vehicles including Shahed-type one-way-attack drones and decoys, the Ukrainian Air Force reported.
Ukrainian air defenses reportedly neutralized all incoming threats, with forces shooting down 61 attack drones across multiple regions while 42 decoy drones disappeared from radars without negative consequences, according to the Air Force’s statement.
The attack began at 19:00 on 4 January, with drones launched from Russia’s Bryansk, Millerovo, and Oryol areas. Ukrainian aviation, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare units, and mobile fire groups engaged the threats across Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, and Khmelnytskyi oblasts, the report says.
In Kharkiv oblast, falling debris from a neutralized drone caused damage in Krasnokutsk, Bohodukhiv district. Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration head Oleh Syniehubov reported that around 01:52, drone debris damaged four detached houses and a fence, with three people suffering acute stress reactions.
Police confirmed the incident, reporting that two women, aged 59 and 77, and a 33-year-old man received medical assistance on site. For some reason, the police reported to Russia’s Shahed by its Russian designation as “Geran.”
In Poltava, Suspilne reported an explosion around 23:45 as the Air Force tracked a Russian drone traversing the city. The Air Force lifted the strike drone threat alert at 4:39.
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