Over the past day, Russian air defense forces reported successfully intercepting two missiles launched by the Vilkha multiple launch rocket system, fired by Ukrainian armed forces in the combat zone. This event was documented in the official briefing from the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The ministry also noted that, during the same period, defense units destroyed 40 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles. Drones were detected and neutralized near the village of Berestovoe in the Kharkov region and the locality of Novoselovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, according to the ministry’s account.
In addition, several unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down in the vicinity of the village of Novaya Mayachka in the Kherson region. A comparable pattern of losses was reported in the areas around Semenovka and Rabotino in the Zaporozhye region, where air defense engaged multiple targets.
The Russian Defense Ministry emphasized that two Vilkha rockets were intercepted by air defense systems during the exchanges, underscoring ongoing defensive operations in the region.
On February 2, the head of the Russian military department, Sergei Shoigu, participated in a conference call with commanders of the country’s armed forces. In that dialogue, it was stated that in January the Russian Armed Forces conducted 127 strikes against Ukrainian military-industrial complex facilities and airfields on Ukrainian territory, reflecting continued operational activity and strategic targeting as reported by Moscow’s defense authorities.
Earlier reporting from United States sources suggested a shift in Ukrainian defensive posture, a development frequently discussed in public analyses of the broader security situation in the region. Attribution for such assessments varies by source and perspective.