Air defense intercepts almost 92% of drones during massive russian attacks in May - Defense Ministry
In May, Ukraine’s air defense forces increased their effectiveness in intercepting enemy drones and missiles despite the growing intensity of attacks. It was reported by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
According to daily reports from the Ukrainian Air Forces, the enemy used 8,351 aerial attack weapons during massive attacks last month. By comparison, there were about 6,700 in April. Thus, the intensity of enemy attacks has remained at record levels for several months in a row.
How Ukrainian air defense performed in May?
In May, Ukrainian air defense intercepted 7,588 drones and missiles:
- UAVs of the Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas, and similar types—8,150 launches recorded, 7,476 intercepted; interception rate—91.73%;
- cruise and ballistic missiles – 211 launches recorded, 112 intercepted; interception rate – over 53%.
The overall interception rate for air targets during massive strikes reached 90.75%.
Among the missiles destroyed in May:
- 2 Kh-47 M2 'Kinzhal' aeroballistic missiles, which are extremely difficult to shoot down;
- 50 Kh-101 cruise missiles;
- 10 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles;
- 11 Kalibr cruise missiles;
- 14 Kh-59/69 guided air-to-ground missiles;
- 24 Iskander-K cruise missiles.
The most intense drone and missile attacks in May
It is noted that on the night of May 13, the enemy launched a massive attack that lasted over 30 hours, attempting to overwhelm the Ukrainian air defense system with several waves of strikes. During the attack, a total of 1,567 drones and 56 missiles of various types were deployed. The interception rate for drones was 93%, and for missiles, 72%.
"Air defense forces effectively operated non-stop, using only brief pauses to repair and reload equipment and allow personnel to rest," the Ministry of Defense reported.
The attack on the night of May 24 was also large-scale and complex. A distinctive feature of this massive assault was the use of a large number of air-attack weapons with different flight parameters, which flew almost simultaneously in several waves. At that time, the enemy launched 600 UAVs of various types, 30 conventional ballistic missiles, Kinzhal and Zircon missiles, which also follow a ballistic trajectory to their targets, over 50 cruise missiles, and struck with two Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missiles.
"Despite the complexity of the attack, Ukrainian air defenders intercepted 91% of the drones and more than half of the total number of missiles," the agency stated.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi stated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are forming a fourth echelon of air defense, which will cover two more regions of the country, and are also modernizing the army aviation to combat drones.