Kyiv (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Russia launched a record 728 drones and 13 missiles against Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s air force on Wednesday. Ukrainian air defence systems managed to destroy 718 drones and seven missiles.
Russia launched a record 728 drones into Ukraine overnight, according to Ukrainian air forces. Defence systems intercepted 718 drones and seven missiles, the air force reported on Telegram. This appears to be one of Moscow’s most significant attacks on Ukraine in the three-year conflict.
The western city of Lutsk came under fire, according to local media. In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced that Russian drones were attacking the city centre and air defences were shooting down targets.
How effective was Ukraine’s air defence response?
As reported by the Interfax news agency, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports that Ukraine’s air defence units intercepted 718 out of 741 Russian air attack vehicles. “According to preliminary data, as of 8:30, air defence neutralised 718 enemy air attack vehicles, 303 were shot down by fire weapons, 415 were lost by location,” the message says.
Approximately 296 enemy Shahed UAVs (and other UAV types) were intercepted by fire weapons, 415 were neutralised through location or electronic warfare, and seven Kh-101/Iskander-K cruise missiles were destroyed. The latest air attack was thwarted by units of aviation, anti-aircraft missile defence, electronic warfare, unmanned systems, and mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defence Forces.
On the night of July 9, starting at 20:00 on July 8, Russia launched an attack with a total of 741 air attack vehicles. Specifically, 728 Shahed attack UAVs and various simulator drones came from directions including Bryansk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Kursk, Orel, and Millerovo in Russia.
Seven Kh-101/Iskander-K cruise missiles were launched from the Engels districts in the Saratov region and Russia’s Kursk region. Additionally, six Kh-47M2 Dagger (Kinzhal) aeroballistic missiles were fired from the airspace of Russia’s Lipetsk region.
How does this compare to the July 3–4 assault?
Just days earlier, on July 3-4, Russia had set a prior record with an unprecedented 539 drones and 11 missiles in yet another massive, mostly Kyiv-focused attack. This last attack that day left at least one woman dead and more than 26 injured, destroying numerous apartments, a railway company, schools, and embassies. The assaults caused cities to have extensive power outages and fires and sent civilians underground into metro stations as a shelter.
