Hundreds of drones and 40 missiles: How Ukraine's air defenses fought off massive attack
Photo: Russian forces launched hundreds of drones and nearly 40 missiles (Getty Images)
Russian forces attacked Ukraine overnight with hundreds of strike drones and various types of missiles. Most enemy targets were destroyed by air defense forces, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
"On the night of October 16, the enemy carried out a combined strike on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure using strike drones and air- and ground-launched missiles. In total, 357 aerial attack assets were detected – 37 missiles and 320 drones of various types," the Air Force stated.
In total, the following were detected in Ukraine's airspace:
- 320 strike UAVs of the Shahed and Gerbera types, and other drones approaching from Kursk, Millerovo, Shatalovo, Orel, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia, with around 200 of them being Shaheds;
- 2 air-launched Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles from the airspace of Russia's Ryazan region;
- 26 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles;
- 2 Iskander-K cruise missiles (launch sites: temporarily occupied Crimea and Russia's Rostov region);
- 7 guided aviation Kh-59 missiles.
The aerial attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units, drone systems, and mobile fire groups of Ukraine's Defense Forces.
Preliminary data, as of 10:00, indicates that air defense forces shot down or suppressed 288 aerial targets:
- 283 enemy UAVs;
- 5 guided aviation Kh-59 missiles.
Additionally, 18 enemy missiles were lost to radar tracking, with information being clarified. So far, direct hits have been recorded for 14 missiles and 37 strike drones across 14 locations, with downed drones falling in 2 areas.
The main targets of the strike were the Poltava and Kharkiv regions. The attack is ongoing, with several enemy UAVs still in the airspace.
Hundreds of drones and nearly 40 missiles: How the enemy attacked Ukraine overnight and how air defense responded
Night strike on Ukraine on October 16
Russian forces last night, October 16, attacked several regions with missiles and drones. Air alerts were declared across Ukraine due to the threat of Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles.
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia launched over 300 drones and 37 missiles against Ukraine, again using a double-terror tactic. Critical infrastructure and civilian sites across five regions were hit.
According to his report, infrastructure in Vinnytsia, Sumy, and Poltava regions came under attack. In the Chernihiv region, Nizhyn was hit – the post office was damaged and one person was injured. In the Kharkiv region, the occupiers struck critical infrastructure and parts of the State Emergency Service (DSNS).
