Ukraine intercepts 44 of 91 Russian drones in overnight assault, sharp drop in defense rate

Russia launched a massive air assault on Ukraine overnight on 26 October, deploying 91 drones. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 44 – less than half the total number, significantly dropping from the typical 80-90% success rate.

Russian forces regularly assault Ukrainian regions with various weapons – strike drones, missiles, guided bombs, and multiple rocket launchers – aiming to destroy infrastructure, terrorize civilians, and make life in Ukraine unbearable.

Air defense units engaged enemy drones across nine regions, with most interceptions occurring in Sumy Oblast. Ten additional Russian drones were lost due to technical failures, with one straying into Belarus and three returning to Russia.

The assault included seven missiles:

• Three Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles
• Two Kh-59 guided air-launched missiles
• Two unidentified missiles.

No interceptions of these missiles were reported.

The attacks caused multiple civilian casualties:

• In Dnipro, a missile strike killed four people, including a local police officer’s family
• In Kyiv, a Russian drone hit a high-rise apartment building, killing a 14-year-old girl
• In Kyiv Oblast, debris from intercepted drones killed one woman and injured a 13-year-old boy.

In Khmelnytskyi Oblast, home to one of Ukraine’s four nuclear power plants, Russian strikes triggered a complete blackout in the regional capital and four surrounding settlements.

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