MOSCOW, December 31. /TASS/. Over the past 24 hours, Russian air defense systems have intercepted 14 HIMARS and Olkha shells, and also destroyed 31 Ukrainian drones, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

"During the day, air defense systems intercepted 14 rockets fired from the HIMARS and Vilkha multiple launch rocket systems. 31 UAVs of Ukrainian forces were destroyed in the areas of the settlements of Spornoye, Volnovakha, Volodino in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Stelmakhovka, Verkhnekamenka, Golikovo, Nyrkovo of the Lugansk People’s Republic, Vasilyevka, the Kherson region and Ulyanovka, the Zaporozhye region," the ministry said.

The ministry noted that since the beginning of the special military operation, the Russian forces destroyed: 564 aircraft, 263 helicopters, 10,272 unmanned aerial vehicles, 445 anti-aircraft missile systems, 14,412 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,194 combat vehicles of multiple launch rocket systems, 7 578 field artillery pieces and mortars, as well as 16,905 units of special military vehicles.