KYIV, Ukraine, Jan 31, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Kyiv said Wednesday that Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 20 drones and three missiles overnight, and that air defence systems downed more than one dozen of the unmanned aerial vehicles.

Ukraine has been under persistent aerial bombardment by Russian forces for nearly two years and has appealed to allies in the West to bolster its defensive systems.

The air force said Russia had launched 20 Iranian-designed attack drones at Ukraine as well as three ballistic missiles.

It added that air defence systems, mainly in southern and eastern regions along the front, had downed the drones. It made no mention of the missiles.

Officials gave little information about any damage caused by the assault.

Police in the eastern Kharkiv region bordering Russia however said a supermarket and residential homes were damaged in the attack.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that it was a priority for Ukraine to regain control of its airspace this year to make progress on the front.