Ukraine Intercepts Over 57,000 Russian Missiles and Drones in May

Ukraine's air defense forces demonstrated significant activity in May, intercepting a substantial number of Russian aerial threats. The Ukrainian Air Force reported neutralizing over 57,000 targets launched by Russian forces throughout the month.

Among the downed aerial assets were advanced weaponry, including two Kh-47M2 "Kinzhal" air-launched ballistic missiles and 50 Kh-101 cruise missiles. The forces also destroyed 10 "Iskander-M"/KN-23 ballistic missiles and 11 "Kalibr" cruise missiles. Additionally, 14 Kh-59/Kh-69 guided air-to-surface missiles and 24 "Iskander-K" cruise missiles were intercepted.

The report also detailed the interception of a large volume of drones. This included 5,053 "Shahed" attack drones and 1,316 reconnaissance drones. A further 50,894 drones of other types were also neutralized, highlighting the pervasive use of unmanned aerial vehicles by Russia.

In addition to defensive actions, Ukrainian Air Force aircraft conducted 1,089 combat sorties in May. These missions comprised over 700 sorties focused on fighter air patrol and approximately 230 sorties for strike operations and air support of ground troops. The report also noted that on the night of June 1-2, Ukrainian air defense intercepted 40 missiles and 602 drones launched by Russian forces.