Copyright © 2024 Euromaidanpress.com

The work of Euromaidan Press is supported by the International Renaissance Foundation

When referencing our materials, please include an active hyperlink to the Euromaidan Press material and a maximum 500-character extract of the story. To reprint anything longer, written permission must be acquired from [email protected].

Privacy and Cookie Policies.

Ukraine repels Russia’s massive nighttime attack involving 78 drones as Belarus downs several UAVs in its airspace

Russia launched 78 Shahed drones and one Iskander-M missile at Ukraine. Ukrainian air defenses successfully intercepted 60 drones across 12 oblasts, while other drones crashed, and some returned to Russia and Belarus.
russian drone attack targets konotop sumy cities ukraine downs 34 shaheds ukrainian ew unit force-landed black shahed vinnytsia oblast 2024
A Ukrainian EW unit force-landed a “black” Shahed drone in the Vinnytsia Oblast. May 2024. Photo: National Police of Ukraine
Ukraine repels Russia’s massive nighttime attack involving 78 drones as Belarus downs several UAVs in its airspace

In the early hours of 5 September, Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine using 78 Shahed drones and one Iskander-M ballistic missile, as reported by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The assault originated from multiple locations, including occupied Crimea, and Russia’s Kursk, Yeysk, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk areas.

According to the Air Force, Ukrainian air defenses successfully intercepted 60 of the attacking drones across 12 oblasts, including Kyiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Vinnytsia, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Poltava, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. The air alert in Kyiv City lasted for over nine hours. 15 were “locationally lost” – i.e. disappeared from radars – on the territory of Ukraine “presumably under the influence of electronic warfare,” the report claims.

Another explanation for the lost drones could be that at least some of those were decoys without any payload, simply crashing after running out of fuel. This is supported by photos from recent attacks showing shot-down drones of this type.

The Kyiv Military Administration reported that all drones attempting to attack the capital were destroyed. Mykola Lukashuk, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Council, stated that air defenses shot down four Russian Shahed drones over the region during the night.

The Air Force says two drones returned to Russia, while one entered Belarusian airspace. 

Russia’s ally Belarus downed up to four Russian drones

The “Belaruski Hayun” monitoring group reported that up to four Shahed drones may have entered Belarus during the night. Videos published by the group’s Telegram channel showed two shootdowns in the Homyel city area. The opposition Belarusian OSINT project stated that Belarus used aviation to shoot down drones that entered its territory.

The number of Shahed drones that breached Belarusian airspace may be three, not four, considering that two Shaheds reportedly turned back to Russia before possibly re-entering Belarus. Homyel Oblast, located at the tripoint where Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine meet, complicates drone tracking. The confusion around a fourth drone might be due to a Belarusian fighter jet missing its target, prompting the Belarusian air force to scramble another aircraft.

The Belarusian Ministry of Defense confirmed the downing of a UAV but did not specify its type, quantity, or direction.

This incident is not isolated, as Russian Shahed drones have previously breached Belarusian airspace or returned to Russia during attacks on Ukraine.

  • On 26 August, “Belaruski Hayun” reported that at least six Russian drones entered Belarus in one night.
  • On 29 August, Belarus used aviation for the first time to shoot down a Russian drone that entered its territory.
  • On 3 September, one Russian drone flew to Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, another to the occupied Donetst Oblast amid a massive missile and drone attack that targeted Kyiv City.

On 9 August, Belarus claimed to have shot down a “Ukrainian” drone, but Belaruski Hayun stated that on that day “no drones (UAVs) were detected during the air sorties of the Armed Forces of Belarus. No missiles were launched from SU-30 fighter aircraft or MI-24 helicopters.”

The deliberate “veering off course” of Russian drones into Belarus may be an attempt by Russia to drag Minsk into the war against Ukraine, as these drones could strike targets in Belarus and be falsely attributed to Ukrainian forces.

Related:

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this.  We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!

To suggest a correction or clarification, write to us here

You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter

Please leave your suggestions or corrections here



    Euromaidan Press

    We are an independent media outlet that relies solely on advertising revenue to sustain itself. We do not endorse or promote any products or services for financial gain. Therefore, we kindly ask for your support by disabling your ad blocker. Your assistance helps us continue providing quality content. Thank you!

    Related Posts