Iranian drones among record Russian aerial barrage on Ukraine
Russian forces unleashed their most extensive Iranian drone offensive against Ukraine overnight, damaging critical infrastructure across the country.
Russian forces unleashed their most extensive Iranian drone offensive against Ukraine overnight, damaging critical infrastructure across the country.
Residential buildings in the Kyiv region also suffered damage, though no casualties have been reported.
“The enemy launched a record number of Shahed attack UAVs and unidentified drones,” Ukraine's air force said in a statement reported by Reuters.
Iran's Shahed drones were also used in the assault. Known for their low cost and effective kamikaze-style design, they have been deployed extensively by Russian forces to target Ukrainian infrastructure, including energy facilities and military positions.
Russia's use of Iranian drones has seen multiple nations impose sanctions on Tehran claiming that the drones have been used on civilian targets in Ukraine.
The Shahed drones, often rebranded as Geran-2 by Russia, are equipped with loitering capabilities, allowing them to hover over targets before striking with precision.
The Ukrainian air force reported that 76 of the 188 drones were intercepted, while the remainder evaded tracking, likely due to Russia’s use of electronic warfare. The assault also included four Iskander-M ballistic missiles.
Kyiv’s military administration reported that air defense units destroyed more than 10 Russian drones which targeted the capital. However, falling debris caused damage to several properties in the surrounding region, including four private residences and two high-rise buildings, according to regional governor Ruslan Kravchenko.
The attack caused extensive damage to Ternopil’s power grid, cutting electricity to around 70% of the region and disrupting water and heat supplies, officials said.
Governor Vyacheslav Nehoda warned that power disruptions could persist for an extended period. “The consequences are bad because the facility was significantly affected, and this will impact the power supply of the entire region for a long time,” he told national television.
Local authorities have begun implementing planned power cuts to manage shortages while engineers work to restore the grid. Electric buses in the city have been replaced with regular buses, and generators are being deployed to essential facilities such as schools, hospitals, and government offices, according to Serhiy Nadal, head of the regional defense headquarters.
The surge in nightly drone attacks coincides with intensified Russian offensives in Ukraine’s east, where territorial gains have reached their highest levels in months. Analysts say Russia is deploying a mix of cheaply-produced suicide drones and low-cost decoy drones designed to exhaust Ukrainian air defenses.
The drones approached Kyiv in waves and from different directions, Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said via Telegram, adding that there were no reported injuries within the city.
The overnight attack placed most of Ukraine under air raid alerts for hours, with the air force reporting damage in multiple regions, including residential buildings and strikes to critical infrastructure facilities.
