Air Defense Forces shoot down 72 of 94 Russian drones

Air Defense Forces shoot down 72 of 94 Russian drones as part of a broader strike targeting Ukraine that began on the evening of July 8. According to Ukrinform citing the Ukrainian Air Force on Telegram, Russia launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles from temporarily occupied Crimea and 94 Shahed-type combat UAVs, including jet-powered drones, along with Gerbera, Italmas, and Parodiya-type decoys from multiple directions including Bryansk, Millerovo and Orel in Russia, as well as Hvardiiske in Crimea and the temporarily occupied city of Donetsk. Ukrainian air defenses repelled the attack using aviation, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare units, unmanned systems, and mobile fire groups. Preliminary figures as of 8:30 a.m. on July 9 show 72 drones shot down or neutralized across northern, southern, and eastern Ukraine. Two ballistic missiles and 19 attack UAVs hit 13 locations; debris was found at four sites. The assault was ongoing with several drones reported still airborne.