Russian forces launched a massive aerial assault on Ukraine early Wednesday, deploying 145 Shahed-type drones alongside Iskander-M and S-300 missiles, according to Ukraine’s Air Force Command. The barrage also included decoy drones intended to overwhelm air defenses.
Ukrainian military officials reported that air defense systems successfully intercepted and destroyed 72 attack drones and decoys across multiple regions, including Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia and Odesa.
In Sumy, a Russian drone struck the roof of the regional clinical hospital, shattering windows but causing no injuries, local authorities confirmed. Another drone crashed onto the roof of the region’s Krasnopillia hospital, prompting the evacuation of patients and staff, though no casualties were reported.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces conducted a retaliatory drone strike on an oil depot near the village of Kavkazskaya in Russia’s Krasnodar region. The attack damaged a pipeline, ignited a fire and forced the suspension of operations at the facility. Regional emergency services reported no casualties, but as of 10:30 a.m. Moscow time, the blaze had spread to 1,700 square meters.
ПОВ'ЯЗАНОГО З ЦИМ КОНТЕНТУ: Україна не може перемогти лише за допомогою безпілотників, але що, якщо їй і не доведеться?
Russia’s Defense Ministry stated that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 57 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 35 over the Kursk region, 13 over the Oryol region and seven over the Sea of Azov.
Russian authorities also reported a “massive” Ukrainian drone attack on the Engels airbase in Saratov Oblast overnight. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have downed 54 drones over the area. Roman Busargin, the governor of Saratov region, described it as the most extensive UAS attack on the region to date, reporting fires at the airfield and damage to approximately 30 houses.
The assault comes just hours after a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Following the conversation, the Kremlin announced that Putin had agreed to a 30-day suspension of strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and had instructed the military to comply.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to the development, stating that Kyiv would support a halt to attacks on energy facilities but warned that Ukraine would not remain silent if Russia resumed strikes.
“But it cannot be the case that Russia attacks our energy sector and we remain silent. We will respond,” Zelensky emphasized.
ПОВ'ЯЗАНОГО З ЦИМ КОНТЕНТУ: 9 ways the war in Ukraine has changed counter-UAS
Post Image Credit: ASTRA via Telegram
