Ukraine's Air Force reported this morning, July 28th, that its air defenses intercepted 311 out of 331 enemy air assets, including 309 drones and 2 cruise missiles, during a night attack targeting Starokostiantyniv in Khmelnytskyi region. Separately, Lithuania confirmed an unidentified drone entered its airspace from Belarus early Monday morning near Vilnius. The drone's appearance is said to resemble Russian "Gerber" UAVs. According to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry, Russia conducted a group strike last night using long-range precision air-launched weapons, including "Kinzhal" missiles and strike unmanned aerial vehicles, hitting military airfield infrastructure, an ammunition depot, missile armament, and UAV production components. Meanwhile, Russian hacker groups Silent Crow and Belarusian Cyber Partisans claimed responsibility for a massive cyberattack on Aeroflot, stating they destroyed approximately 7,000 servers and stole 20 terabytes of data, crippling the airline's IT systems and preventing refunds for canceled flights. Amidst these developments, Ukrainian forces reported liberating Kindrativka in Sumy region. On the ground, Russian forces are pressing towards Kupyansk from the northwest, advancing through Moskovka towards Sobolivka, and appear to be flanking the city from the west after initial failures to advance from Radkivka. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that the West made a mistake using Ukraine as a "battering ram" against Russia and that the conflict could have ended in April 2022 if the West had not blocked it. Reports indicate Russia has depleted its Soviet-era weaponry stockpiles during the invasion of Ukraine, with China and North Korea stepping in to supply goods. The cyberattack on Aeroflot, described as a "strategic strike," has caused significant disruptions, leading to delays and cancellations at Russian airfields. The attackers claim the operation took a year to plan and resulted in damages estimated in the tens of millions of dollars. Ukraine's Air Force stated that 4 Kh-101 cruise missiles and 3 Kh-47M2 "Kinzhal" aeroballistic missiles were launched from Russian airspace, with the "Kinzhal" missiles failing to achieve their objectives. In a separate incident, a drone, potentially launched from Belarus, was spotted in Lithuanian airspace near Vilnius. Reports suggest its sound and appearance are similar to the Russian "Gerber" UAV, often used to mimic Shahed drones. Lithuanian authorities have initiated a full-scale response to the incursion.
