Ukraine downs 31 “attack drones” as Russia launches 68 UAVs, four missiles

Ukraine’s Air Force reported successfully repelling a large-scale Russian aerial assault that started in the early hours of 13 October. The attack involved a combination of ballistic missiles, guided aviation missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) targeting multiple Ukrainian regions.

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 every night, often also launching several missiles during the attack. The Russians also intensified the guided bomb strikes, targeting residential neighborhoods of Ukrainian cities.

According to the Air Force statement, Russian forces launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles from Russia’s Kursk Oblast and occupied Crimea, targeting Poltava and Odesa oblasts. Additionally, two Kh-59 guided aviation missiles were fired at Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts from the airspace of Kursk Oblast.

The most significant component of the assault were 68 “attack drones,” reportedly launched from Kursk and Orel in Russia. Ukrainian air defenses, including anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units, and mobile fire groups of the Air Force and Defense Forces, were engaged to counter the attack.

Usually, Russia launches Shahed 131 or Shahed 136 UAVs, lately adding a number of cheaper drones without a payload to the mix to overwhelm the air defenses. The Ukrainian Air Force has finally acknowledged the fact that not all drones in these attacks are the Shaheds, yet still includes the decoys taking part in the attack in the “attack drones” subset.

The Air Force reported that 31 Russian drones were shot down over Kyiv, Poltava, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Cherkasy oblasts. Furthermore, 36 Russian drones were reportedly “locationally lost” in various regions of Ukraine, i.e., disappeared from radars, possibly crashing. The Air Force claims it’s “likely due to active electronic warfare countermeasures.”

The report implies that one drone and all four missiles could have reached their targets.

As of 8:51, the Air Force reported that one drone remained airborne. About 30 minutes later, Ukrainian airspace monitoring channels said there was no Shahed threat anymore.

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