"Attack lasted 8 hours". Kyiv reports overnight success
The Ukrainian military has reported repelling a large-scale attack carried out by Russian forces. They shot down 29 out of the 38 Shahed combat drones launched by Russia on Friday evening and overnight.
10:41 AM EST, November 18, 2023
Russia executed the drone attacks in several waves, across various regions of Ukraine. An air defense alert was declared, including in Kyiv. By dawn, the capital's authorities reported they had successfully shot down all the drones aimed at the city. The attack spanned a duration of eight hours.
Details about the aftermath of the overnight assaults started to emerge on Saturday morning. An energy infrastructure facility in the Odessa region was struck, resulting in one person getting injured. Multiple fires resulted from hits on infrastructure facilities, especially in the Zaporizhia region.
Grain ship gets damaged off the Ukrainian coast in the Black Sea
As Reuters reports, a grain-transporting ship incurred minor damages in the Black Sea, off the coast of Ukraine. Likely due to a sea mine explosion, suggests the agency, quoting experts and a Ukrainian government source.
The vessel, under the Liberian flag, sustained the damages in the open sea after it had left the Ukrainian port of Pivdenny on Thursday. A drifting naval mine might have hit the ship, speculates a Ukrainian government source.
The commercial ship was en route to the Romanian port of Constanta on Friday, as reported by Reuters.
In August, Ukraine had established a "humanitarian corridor" for ships heading towards African and Asian markets. This was an attempt to circumnavigate the actual blockade in the Black Sea imposed after Russia withdrew from the grain deal in July. Ukrainian authorities announced on Friday that 151 ships have already availed of this corridor.
