On August 3, the Ukrainian Air Force announced on Facebook that it had shot down seven Russian missiles, the latest setback for President Vladimir Putin’s military.
“No matter how the enemy tries to intimidate [us] with aircraft and missile strikes – we will not surrender,” the Ukrainian military branch said on their social media. “On land, in the sea, in the air – we defend our homeland and be sure to win.”
The post read that Russia allegedly launched the missile attack from somewhere near the Caspian Sea at about 5 p.m. local time Tuesday using Tu-95 strategic bombers, Newsweek reported. Ukraine claimed its military shot down seven of the eight cruise missiles which they say were fired toward the country’s central, southern, and western regions.
According to Ukraine, six missiles were “eliminated” by anti-aircraft missile forces, while one was shot down by an air force fighter jet. The eighth missile hit an anti-aircraft missile complex in the Lviv region, and the military is still assessing the damage and victims of the strike.
Ukraine has not released any additional information, including the fighter jet used to intercept the Russian missile. The missiles’ intended targets are unknown, according to Newsweek.
A day after the Ukrainian Air Force’s Facebook post, the military branch claimed on August 4 that it had shot down another missile near Zaporizhzhia.
“The occupiers’ missile from the C-300 complex was shot down by air defense forces in the morning,” the post explained. “Believe in the Armed Forces of Ukraine! Ukraine will win!”
On February 24, Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine, hoping for a quick takeover of their eastern European neighbor, whose military is much smaller than Russia’s, The Dallas Express reported. Russian troops, however, were met with a stronger-than-expected response from Ukraine, which has since been aided by Western support.
According to a new agreement between Russia and Iran, Iran will supply Russia with aircraft parts, equipment, and maintenance, The Dallas Express reported on August 3.
Another component of the agreement is to increase flights between the two countries to 35 per week, which would be a significant increase given that only 19 countries currently offer direct flights to Russia due to sanctions imposed after the country’s army invaded Ukraine.