Ukraine Air Force: Ukraine shoots down 45 drones

Ukraine shot down 45 Russian drones overnight as the country rang in the New Year, the air force said.

In a New Year’s Eve assault, Moscow attacked Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with missiles and drones.

Ukraine’s air force said in a statement that air defences destroyed 45 drones.

Thirteen drones were shot down at the end of 2022 and another 32 in the new year, the statement said.

Ukrainian authorities did not say if some of the drones reached their targets.

Andriy Nebitov, the head of the Kyiv police, posted on Facebook a picture of wreckage of a downed drone that featured the words “Happy New Year” in Russian.

“That is everything you need to know about the terror state and its army,” he wrote.

The attacks came as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine enters its 11th month.