Russian troops launched attack drones over Ukraine on the evening of December 14, the Ukrainian Air Force said, prompting further air alerts in Odesa, Mykolayiv, Kherson, and several other regions.
The evening alerts came after alerts were triggered across the whole of Ukraine four times within a short space of time during the day as Russian President Vladimir Putin held a marathon question-and-answer session in Moscow, vowing to continue the fight until Russia achieves its goals.
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The air force warned late on December 14 that Iranian-made Shahed drones were over the Odesa, Mykolayiv, and Kherson, and four others -- Kirovohrad, Cherkasy, Vinnytsya, and Khmelnytskiy.
"The attack of enemy attack drones continues.... Shahed in Vinnytsia -- moving west. Shahed in Cherkasy region -- to the north," the air force said on Telegram. In Mykolayiv, they were circling north and east, and in Odesa, they were moving west, the air force said.
According to the military, the Odesa region was hit particularly hard during a daytime attack that lasted six hours, causing damage and injuring 11 people.
The Ukrainian military said earlier it shot down 41 of 42 Shahed-136/131 attack drones, most of them in the Odesa region.
There also were reports that Russian forces launched Kinzhal ballistic missiles in the direction of Khmelnytskiy and Kyiv.
The missiles were launched from three MiG-31K aircraft flying over the Tula region of Russia, the air force said.
"The anti-aircraft missile unit of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed one Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missile in the Kyiv region,” the report said.
Air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said there had been at least one impact in the Khmelnytskiy region but did not provide further details.
Referring to Russian strikes using ballistic missiles, including on Kyiv, Ihnat called them "terrorist attacks."
SEE ALSO: The War Must Go On, Until Putin Says Otherwise: Takeaways From A Four-Hour TalkUkrainian media also reported explosions near the Starokostyantyniv military airfield in the region. The site has long been the target of Russian attacks using drones and missiles.
The Ukrainian military, which on December 14 received a second Patriot air-defense system from Germany, has claimed in the past to have successfully downed Kinzhal missiles.
Missiles for the Patriot system from Germany were also delivered, according to an updated German government inventory of arms supplied to Ukraine since the Russian full-scale invasion in February last year.
At his question-and-answer session in Moscow, Putin claimed Russian forces were "improving their position on almost the entire line of contact" in Ukraine and said, "I am sure that victory will be ours."