Ukraine Shoots Down 73 of 119 Russian Drones in Coordinated Attack

Over the weekend, Ukraine faced a significant wave of Russian drone strikes, with around 119 drones launched overnight on March 9. Ukrainian air defenses successfully shot down 73 of these drones, while 37 others were lost without causing damage. Key regions affected by the attacks included Donetsk, Kharkiv, Poltava, Cherkasy, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia. The drone assaults coincide with a recent pause in U.S. military aid to Ukraine, aimed at pushing negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. In response, Ukraine has also conducted its own drone strikes targeting Russian locations. The ongoing aerial conflict has resulted in civilian casualties, with at least 24 reported deaths from earlier attacks on March 8.