Today, December 13, 2024, Ukraine successfully repelled the largest long-range attack from the Russian Federation since the onset of the war. According to the Ukrainian Air Force Command, this assault involved 287 aerial attack assets: 94 missiles and 193 drones of various types.
Regarding the missiles, during this attack, the enemy launched 55 air-launched cruise missiles of the X-101/X-555 type, 1 aviation X-59/X-69, 24 naval, and 7 ground-based P-500 from the Iskander missile system, totaling 87 cruise missiles.
Among the missiles, 7 units were launched by the Russians that required appropriate missile defense systems for interception: 2 ballistic missiles from the Iskander system, one KN-23, and 4 air-launched ballistic missiles X-47M2 "Kinzhal."
Thanks to the efforts of Ukraine's Defense Forces, 80 cruise missiles of all types were shot down, indicating a 92% effectiveness rate against cruise missiles. Of the 193 drones, only 2 caused damage, as 80 were shot down, 105 were lost in location, 5 returned to the Russian Federation, and 1 flew to Belarus. Therefore, the effectiveness of the Ukrainian air defense against UAVs was 99%. One ballistic missile from the Iskander was also intercepted, underscoring the ongoing need for appropriate missile defense systems.
It is worth noting that prior to this, the largest attack occurred on August 26, 2024, when the enemy launched a total of 236 long-range strike assets: 127 missiles and 109 kamikaze drones.
At that time, our air defense systems demonstrated an effectiveness rate of 90.8% against drones of the "Shahed" type and 86% against cruise missiles.