Ukraine claimed Thursday that its air defence forces knocked down 29 of 30 Russian cruise missiles launched overnight, in an attack that targeted Kyiv and other cities.

“The Russian occupiers launched a series of missile attacks from various directions. A total of 30 cruise missiles were launched from sea, air, and land”, the military claimed, adding that Ukrainian air defence systems destroyed 29 cruise missiles.

Officials in Odesa said a missile hit an undisclosed industrial facility after being intercepted by air defences, killing one person and injuring two others.

Russia, which began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has increased air strikes in recent weeks as Ukraine prepared to launch a counteroffensive to reclaim captured territory.

Ukraine said it knocked down six Russian Kinzhal missiles during heavy air strikes on Kyiv on Tuesday. Moscow then denied losing six of their supposedly invincible hypersonic missiles.

Russia claimed to have damaged a Patriot missile defence system manufactured by the United States during Tuesday’s attacks but Ukraine denied this.

Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat confirmed on Thursday that Kyiv is still using the Patriot system.

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