Ukrainian forces intercept Russian drone barrage, troops amass near Sumy

- Ukrainian air defence shot down 28 out of 29 Shahed-131/136 drones that Russian forces used to attack Ukraine last night, Ukrainian Air Force Commander General Mykola Oleshchuk reported on Tuesday morning.

"The enemy attacked with 29 Shahed-131/136 combat drones from three directions: Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Kursk - Russia, and Cape Chauda - (occupied) Crimea," wrote Ukrainian Air Force Commander General Mykola Oleshchuk on his Telegram channel.

"As a result of the combat, 28 Shaheds were shot down over the Odesa, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Kherson, and Kirovohrad regions," the general conveyed.

Oleshchuk noted that the attack was repelled by the anti-aircraft missile units of the air force and mobile shooting teams of Ukraine's defence forces. Electronic warfare equipment was also used.

Maksym Zhorin, deputy commander of one of the Ukrainian brigades fighting in the Kharkiv region, reported on Monday that Russian forces were observed massing near the border with the Sumy region. According to Zhorin, Chechen units, known as Kadyrovites, are being brought into the Kursk region. On the same day, Ukrainian military expert Kostiantyn Mashovets estimated the size of the Russian grouping in the Kursk region to be about 9,000-10,000 soldiers, according to a think tank.

The ISW emphasized that these are likely forces with limited combat capabilities—not fully manned and poorly organized. Nevertheless, in the think tank's assessment, even such an invasive military grouping will fulfill its role by forcing Ukrainians to extend their forces along the front line to secure the state's northern border.