russian drones attack ukraine's northern regions ukrainian mobile fire unit shoots down shahed kamikaze serhii naiev/tb illustrative serhiy

Russia launches 135 explosive drones, Ukraine downs 80 UAVs, 44 more crash

October 18, 2024

By Ukraine

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Overnight on 18 October 2024, Russia launched one of its largest drone attacks on Ukraine, deploying 135 Shahed-type explosive drones and unidentified UAVs from Russia’s Kursk, Orel, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk, as reported by Ukraine’s Air Force.

Russia continues its deliberate daily air attacks on residential areas in attempts to terrorize civilians and damage civilian infrastructure. The Russian forces launch dozens of Shahed long-range “kamikaze” drones – usually Iranian-designed Shahed 131 or 136 – every night, often also launching several missiles during the attack.

The Air Force wrote that Ukrainian defenses, including aviation, anti-aircraft missile systems, electronic warfare, and mobile fire groups, intercepted 80 drones across multiple oblasts, including Kyiv, Odesa, Sumy, and Kharkiv. Additionally, 44 drones went off radar possibly crashing, and two crossed into Belarus. At the time of the reporting (8:43 a.m.), “up to 10 more” drones still moved through central Ukrainian airspace, as per the Air Force.

The latest reports on drone activity from airspace monitoring channels came around noon.

In Kyiv Oblast, the air defenses engaged the drones for over 4.5 hours, preventing any from reaching the capital, as confirmed by the Kyiv Military Administration (KMVA). KMVA chief Serhiy Popko described the assault as one of the most massive attacks yet, highlighting that air alerts have become a grim routine for Kyiv residents.

Khmelnytskyi Oblast also came under attack, with eight Shahed drones reportedly destroyed overnight.

There were no reports on civilian casualties from the drone attack.

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