President Vladimir Putin casts the war, which Moscow officially calls a "Special Military Operation", as a difficult but necessary fight against a Western- and NATO-backed Ukraine. He says it is part of a wider existential battle against a decadent West trying to weaken and dismember Russia.

Russian forces launched more than a hundred drones against Ukraine. Air defense managed to destroy 57 of them, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports. In total, the enemy launched 104 UAVs of the Shahed type and various types of decoy drones from the directions of the Russian cities of Kursk,

The Russians attacked Ukraine with 104 Shahed attack UAVs and decoy drones on the night of 26-27 January. The Ukrainian air defence forces have managed to destroy 57 drones, and 39 more disappeared from radar.