The Ukrainian military on Monday (December 10th) reported that their defences had successfully repulsed a drone attack by Russia in the eastern part of the country. According to the Ukrainian defence ministry, Russian reconnaissance drones had attempted to breach the county’s air defences around the strategic port city of Mariupol in the Sea of Azov.
The Ukrainian military said they had spotted and destroyed a number of Russian unmanned aerial vehicles while they were in the process of trying to carry out reconnaissance on the Ukrainian military forces. The drones were reportedly armed with both explosives and reconnaissance equipment.
The Russian military has denied any involvement in the attack, which comes amid increased military tensions between Moscow and Kiev. The confrontation between the two countries has increased substantially since the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia.
Ukraine has been successfully able to repel the drone attack, and held its ground against the Russian military. This shows Kiev’s increasing ability to protect itself from threats from Russia, and to demonstrate that it is on the same level as its larger neighbour with regards to military might.