How Ukraine's air defenses responded to Russia's overnight drone and missile attack
Illustrative photo: Ukraine's air defenses intercepted 110 Russian aerial targets (Getty Images)
Russia launched a guided air-to-surface missile, ballistic missiles, and 136 attack drones against Ukraine overnight on July 26. Despite Ukraine's air defenses intercepting most of the incoming targets, dozens of strikes were recorded, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
During the overnight attack, Russia launched:
- one Kh-59/69 guided air-to-surface missile from the airspace over the Black Sea;
- seven Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles launched from Russia's Bryansk, Kursk, and Voronezh regions;
- 136 attack drones, including Shahed drones (some jet-powered), Gerbera, Italmas, and Parodiya decoy drones, launched from Bryansk, Kursk, Oryol, Millerovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia, as well as temporarily occupied Donetsk, Hvardiiske, and occupied Crimea.
According to preliminary data as of 8:30 a.m. local time, Ukraine's air defenses shot down or electronically suppressed one Kh-59/69 guided missile, five Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles, and 104 Russian drones over the country's north, south, and east.
Two ballistic missiles and 27 attack drones struck targets at 18 locations. Debris from intercepted targets also fell at seven locations.
As reported earlier, Russia launched a ballistic missile attack on Kyiv overnight on July 26, with impacts recorded in three districts of the capital.
On the evening of July 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia had already prepared missiles for another large-scale strike on Ukraine, saying it could take place within 48 hours.
