KYIV, Ukraine, Dec 15, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Ukraine said Friday that its air

defence systems had downed more than a dozen Iranian-designed attack drones
in the latest overnight barrage by Russia.

Kyiv believes Moscow has stockpiled munitions to strike Ukrainian
infrastructure over the winter months, and the capital has been targeted by
missiles in recent days.

"During the night of December 15, 2023, the enemy attacked with Shahed-type
attack drones," the Ukrainian air force said, adding that all 14 drones had
been downed.

It said the drones were launched from the Krasnodar region in western Russia
and had been downed over the Mykolaiv, Kherson, Khmelnytskyi and Poltava
regions.

During the winter of 2022, such strikes left millions of people without power
for long periods during a cold snap.

Kyiv has since reinforced its air defence systems with weapons from its
European and US allies, but says more is needed to protect vulnerable
regions.