Air Force: Ukraine downs 31 Russian drones overnight

First responders are working at the scene of Russia's attack in Kharkiv in the early hours of March 23. (State Emergency Service/Telegram)

Ukraine shot down 31 of 34 Shahed-type drones Russia launched overnight on March 23 from Kursk region and Cape Chauda in occupied Crimea, the Air Force said in its morning update.

Anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force and mobile fire units were engaged in repelling the aerial assault. The attack drones were downed over Poltava, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.

Russian forces also targeted Donetsk Oblast with at least four S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles. It is unclear whether the missiles were intercepted.

In Kharkiv, residents heard explosions shortly after midnight on March 23. A drone struck a three-story building in the city, causing fire on an area of 150 square meters. Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported in the morning that one of their employees, as well as a police officer were injured after their dispatch to the site, as another drone hit the area.

Two emergency vehicles were also damaged in the attack.

On March 22, Russia launched another large-scale drone and missile attack against Ukrainian cities, targeting several Ukrainian cities, including Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kryvyi Rih. The attacks were primarily aimed at the energy infrastructure.

Around 700,000 people in Kharkiv were left with power flowing one of the largest Russian attacks against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure on March 22.

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