Ukrainian Air Defense Forces Shoot Down Two Russian Drones In Southern Ukraine

This is the moment Ukrainian Air Defence Forces destroy two enemy drones flying over the south of the country.

Both drones were reportedly spotted by the Ukrainian military on 20th December sometime between 1:00pm and 2:00pm.

Fighters from the Air Command "South" targeted the two Orion strike-reconnaissance aircraft in the air and took them out with a rocket somewhere above the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions.

The Orion unmanned aerial vehicle is called the best Russian attack UAV among those in service that can conduct visual, radar or radio technical reconnaissance.

It is classified as a medium-altitude UAV with a long flight duration of up to 24 hours.

The footage was obtained by Newsflash from the Air Command "South" on 20th December, along with a short statement: "The forces and means of anti-aircraft defence of the 'Southern' air command were detected and shot down two Russian UAVs, among them the strike-reconnaissance 'Orion' of the Kherson region and the operational-tactical level drone of the Mykolaiv region.

"Glory to Ukraine!

"Death to enemies!"

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is still calling a "special military operation". Today marks the 301st day of the invasion.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 21st December, Russia had lost about 99,740 personnel, 3,002 tanks, 5,979 armoured combat vehicles, 1972 artillery units, 412 multiple launch rocket systems, 212 air defence systems, 282 warplanes, 267 helicopters, 1,688 drones, 653 cruise missiles, 16 warships, 4,608 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 178 units of special equipment.

Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise visit to Ukrainian troops serving on the intense Bakhmut front on 20th December to commend their bravery and presented them with awards.

While Russian President Vladimir Putin held a senior-level award ceremony where he celebrated Russian occupation and Kremlin officials.

Zelensky is expected to soon visit the US Congress in Washington with a plea for aid in the conflict with Russia.

And US President Joe Biden is set to unveil nearly USD 1.8 billion (GBP 1.4 billion) in military assistance to help strengthen Ukraine's defences in the upcoming winter.

Meanwhile, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed that Russia “gave” Belarus an unspecified number of S-400 air defence systems during his meeting with Putin in Minsk after Lukashenko had previously rejected them from operating in Belarus in 2020.

Putin acknowledged conditions in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine are becoming "extremely difficult".

Russian forces are expanding their defences on the left (east) bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast as Putin put out orders to strengthen Russia's borders.

The US State Department said Iran's drone shipments to Russia that are to be used in the conflict with Ukraine are turning relations between Tehran and Moscow into a "full-fledged defence partnership".

British defence minister Ben Wallace called upon the West to do more to expose Russia and Iran's trade of military components.

The electricity supplies around Kyiv are reportedly at a critical level as Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal urges the nation to prepare for new attacks that will have them spend the New Year holidays in darkness.

Over 10 million people in Ukraine’s population may suffer from a mental health disorder due to the war, according to the World Health Organization's estimations.