Massive Russian missiles and drone assault on Ukraine: How air defenses responded
Photo: Air defense system shot down 31 drones during the Russian attack (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
On the night of October 20, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with ballistic missiles and 49 drones. Ukrainian air defense systems shot down more than half of the Russian drones, according to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"On the night of October 20, the enemy attacked Ukraine with ballistic missiles from the territory of Crimea, 'Shahed' attack drones, and unidentified drones from Yeisk and Primorsko-Akhtarsk," the report says.
A total of 51 aerial targets were detected and tracked by the Radio Engineering Troops of the Air Force: 49 enemy drones and two 'skander-M ballistic missiles.
How the air defense responded
The air attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units, and mobile fire groups of the Air Force and the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
"As of 10:00 a.m., the air defense battle resulted in the confirmed destruction of 31 enemy drones in the Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr, Lviv, Odesa, Sumy, Poltava, Cherkasy, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk regions.
Additionally, 13 Russian drones have been lost from radar, and information regarding their destruction or crashes is being clarified and updated.
Russia’s attack on Ukraine
After 11:00 p.m., the occupiers launched kamikaze drones across Ukraine. After 2:00 a.m., an air raid alert due to drones was announced in Kyiv.
The capital's air defense systems were active. In particular, air defense shot down about ten attack drones near Kyiv, which the Russian invaders used to attack the city that night.
Additionally, the Russians launched ballistic missiles at Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Currently, 17 people are reported injured. The ballistic missile strikes damaged a hotel, residential buildings, a store, and an educational institution.
Russian occupiers also carried out an airstrike on Kharkiv. The invaders hit the Novobavarskyi district of Kharkiv with a guided aerial bomb (KAB).
