In the early hours of 26 May, Russian forces launched another air attack against Ukraine from the north and south. Ukraine’s Air Force Command reports that Russians have launched a total of ten cruise missiles, seven anti-air missiles in their secondary ground-attack role, and 31 Iranian-made Shahed-series kamikaze drones. Ukrainian air defenses managed to destroy all ten cruise missiles and 23 of the Shahed drones. Additionally, two reconnaissance drones were downed.
The Command says the air attack started on 25 May at 22:00 and lasted until 5:00 on 26 May.
“This time, the enemy shifted the direction of the attack to the east, targeting critical [civilian] infrastructure and facilities of the Ukrainian Defense Forces,” the Command wrote.
The attack comprised the following air assets:
- 10 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles launched by Tu-95MS aircraft from the Caspian Sea area;
- 7 S-300/S-400 anti-aircraft guided missiles launched from the Tokmak area (Zaporizhzhia Oblast);
- 31 Iranian-made Shahed-136/131 one-way attack UAVs from the southern and northern directions.
The Air Force Command says air defenses downed 10 cruise missiles, 23 Shahed-136/131 attack drones, and two operational-tactical level UAVs, an Orlan-10 and a Merlin-BP.
Several drone and S-300/S-400 hits were recorded in Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts.
Kyiv: all air targets destroyed
At about 5:30, the Kyiv City Military Administration (KMVA) reported that in the 13th air attack on the Ukrainian capital, Russians fired Kh-101/555 cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea area.
“According to preliminary information, all enemy targets in Kyiv’s airspace were detected and destroyed! […] As of this hour, no casualties or damage have been reported in Kyiv,” the Administration wrote.
KMVA’s later update on the aftermath of the missile attack mentions insignificant damage from the fallen debris: in the city’s Obolon district, the debris damaged the roof of a retail and entertainment center, and cars in a parking lot, while in Shevchenkivskyi district, a piece of debris fell on a detached house, damaging its roof and a window.
Kharkiv Oblast: factory, school, farming machinery hit
The Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration says Russian-launched Shahed drones targeted two towns last night: Marefa saw a civilian enterprise hit with subsequent fire at the facility, while Izium saw damage to “an educational institution and a garage with agricultural machinery.”
“Preliminary, no one was injured as a result of the night Shahed strikes,” the Administration wrote.
Dnipro: transport company, two factories, petrol station damaged
According to the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast authorities, the Russians attacked the region using an unspecified number of kamikaze drones and missiles, and of those, five cruise missiles and six Shaheds were shot down.
In Dnipro City:
- “A fire broke out in a private household, which has already been extinguished. Two houses and a car were damaged.”
- “Two private enterprises also caught fire, rescuers have extinguished it.”
- “A gas station was damaged. Its employee was injured. A transportation company also suffered serious damage.”
In the Oblast, the town of Marhanets came under the Shahed attack, but “there were no casualties,” the Administration says.
“The consequences of the Russian attack could have been much worse if not for our incredible air defense,” the oblast authorities wrote.
Read also:
- Ukraine downs all Russia’s 36 Shahed drones early on 25 May
- Russian army attacks Avdiivka, leaving 9-story building destroyed and people trapped
- Ukraine’s air defense takes down Russian attack helicopter near New York
- Russia adopts new tactics during its missile attacks on Ukraine – UK Intel
- Ukraine downs all 21 Russian drones from night attack; Kyiv apartments damaged by debris
