Russia's Night Drone Attack on Ukraine; Kyiv: We Shot Down 24 'Shahed' Drones

Ukrainian officials say that Ukraine shot down 24 out of 28 'Shahed' drones launched by Russia in a nighttime attack on the country, which damaged residential buildings in Kyiv as well as infrastructure and grain storage facilities in southern regions. As a result of these drones hitting the upper floors of a residential apartment in the Ukrainian capital, two people were injured, and several other residential buildings were also damaged. Russia has repeatedly used Iranian Shahed-136 drones against civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. However, despite evidence and documentation from Western experts and intelligence agencies, it has denied supporting Russia in the war in Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced earlier in December that most of the drones used in the largest Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian capital, which occurred days before his speech, were made in Iran. U.S. officials have also warned that the Islamic Republic is preparing to send advanced short-range missiles to Russia. Russia has once again attempted to target port infrastructure in the south, which has been repeatedly attacked since its withdrawal from a UN-brokered agreement that allowed safe passage for Ukrainian grain shipments through the Black Sea. The Ukrainian Army Command in the south stated on Telegram that the wreckage of these drones damaged a grain storage facility in the Odesa region, and the fire was quickly extinguished by company staff. The army added that in the adjacent Mykolaiv region, one of the infrastructure facilities was also hit, causing a fire. No injuries have been reported in these two areas. Mykola Olshchuk, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, stated that three Russian Su-34 bomber jets were shot down 'to the south.' Previously, Ukraine had reported that during its 22-month invasion, Russia had launched about 7,400 missiles and 3,700 Shahed attack drones at targets in Ukraine. A spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force stated in a televised address that Ukraine's air defense managed to shoot down 1,600 missiles and 2,900 drones. The White House recently released a U.S. intelligence finding stating that Russia receives the necessary components for producing Iranian-made Shahed attack drones at a factory in the Alabuga special economic zone in the Republic of Tatarstan. Russia has claimed that it relies on its own resources for using drones to attack Ukraine. The Islamic Republic has confirmed that it sent its drones to Russia before Moscow's attack on Ukraine. A Voice of America investigative report on the transfer of electronic components for the production of Shahed drones in Russia states that Ukraine has shot down 'eight ballistic missiles' from Russia. The European Union has sanctioned six individuals and five entities in connection with the Islamic Republic's drone assistance to Russia. An American senator has called for immediate sanctions against the manufacturer of Iranian drones in Russia. Ukraine shot down 14 Shahed drones; Zelensky: We have repeatedly told the Islamic Republic not to provide weapons to Russia. Russian drone attacks on Kyiv; Ukraine shot down 15 Iranian-made drones.