Russian forces launched a massive drone attack on Ukraine overnight on 16-17 October, deploying 56 strike drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of unidentified types, along with a Kh-59 guided air-to-surface missile, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
The military reported that the occupiers launched the missile from Russia’s Kursk Oblast, while drones were launched from Kursk, Oryol, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia. Ukrainian defense forces, including aviation, air defense missile units, electronic warfare units, and mobile fire groups of the Air Force and Defense Forces, participated in repelling the attack.
According to the report, Ukrainian air defenders successfully shot down 22 drones across various regions, including Sumy, Kyiv, Poltava, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Mykolaiv, Cherkasy, Odesa, and Ternopil oblasts. Additionally, 27 strike drones and UAVs of unidentified types were locationally lost “due to active electronic warfare countermeasures,” while two more UAVs flew towards Belarus.
The report’s figures suggest that at least five drones might have reached their targets in frontline oblasts.
In Mykolaiv Oblast, energy infrastructure was targeted, resulting in power outages. Vitaliy Kim, head of the Mykolaiv Oblast Military Administration, stated that energy workers had already restored power to most consumers, but work was ongoing.
In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that drone debris was found on the territory of a kindergarten in the Desnianskyi district, breaking a window in the building. No other damage or casualties were reported in this incident. The Kyiv City Military Administration added that Russian drones approached the capital in waves from different directions, with air raid alerts sounding four times throughout the night.
The attack also resulted in damage to a multi-story residential building in the Desnianskyi district of Kyiv, with windows and interior finishes damaged on three floors. No casualties were reported in this incident.
Related:
- Russian air attack hits Mykolaiv hard, leaving one dead and 23 injured
- Russia kills 5 in night ballistic missile strike on Odesa
- Ukraine downs 31 “attack drones” as Russia launches 68 UAVs, four missiles
- Russian forces launch 900 guided bombs on Ukraine in one week, Zelenskyy says
- AP: Russia dupes African women into making drones for its war in Ukraine
- Six injured as Russian bomb strike hits residential area in Zaporizhzhia
- Fires erupt in Chornomorsk apartment building following Russian drone attack
- Russians launch over 90 aerial weapons at Ukraine, two missiles and 56 drones downed
