New record: Ukraine repels massive Russian drone attack
Photo: Ukraine repelled one of the largest Russian drone attacks (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
On the night and morning of July 31, Russia attacked Ukraine with kamikaze drones. It was one of the most massive Russian Shahed attacks.
Find out the consequences of the Russian attack in the RBC-Ukraine report.
Contents
Russia launched kamikaze drones at Ukraine on the evening of July 30. The Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported the movement of Shaheds in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, Vinnytsia, Sumy, Kharkiv, Poltava, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kherson, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Russia attacked Ukraine with 89 drones
Russia launched 89 drones at Ukraine from several areas - Yeysk, Seshcha, Kursk, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk. The main area of attack was the Kyiv region. All of the Shaheds were shot down by Ukrainian air defense forces.
The commander of the Ukrainian Air Force called today's Russian drone attack one of the most massive. Russia used the same number of Shaheds on New Year's Eve, January 1, 2024. Back then, the Russians launched 90 drones, and Ukrainian air defense forces shot down 87 of them. This means that today Ukrainian defenders set a new record for downed drones.
Also last night, the Russians fired a Kh-59 guided missile from the airspace of the occupied part of the Kherson region. The Russians aimed the missile at Mykolaiv region and managed to shoot it down.
Kyiv and region
The air alert in Kyiv lasted for almost nine hours. It was announced twice - at night and in the morning, as there were two waves of Russian attacks.
According to the Kyiv City Military Administration, about 40 Shaheds were shot down on the outskirts of Kyiv. The drones did not reach the Ukrainian capital. There were no hits in Kyiv, and no damage was reported. There were no injuries or casualties.
There were also no direct hits in the Kyiv region. However, in the Brovary district near Kyiv, a fire broke out in a private house due to a Russian drone attack. It was extinguished.
Photo: A fire broke out in Kyiv region due to the Russian attack (kv.dsns.gov.ua)
According to the Kyiv Regional Military Administration, as of 9:30 a.m., 13 private houses in four districts of the region were damaged. Shrapnel damaged the facades, and roofs, and smashed windows. No one was injured.
Consequences
Dnipropetrovsk region. Ukrainian Air Defense Forces destroyed six Russian Shaheds in the sky over the region.
Cherkasy region. The air raid lasted almost 10 hours in a row. Ukrainian mobile groups and electronic warfare units eliminated four drones within the region.
Poltava region. Ukrainian air defense was operating in the region, and residents heard sounds similar to explosions. No hits were recorded in the region, and no casualties were reported.
Kherson region. Ukrainian Air Defense Forces destroyed 9 Russian drones.
Sumy region. Ukrainian air defense was operating in the region, no Russian strikes were recorded.
Mykolaiv region. Ukrainian Air Defense Forces destroyed a guided Russian missile and 4 Shaheds n in the region.
US reaction
US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink reacted to the nighttime Russian drone attack.
“Overnight, Russia launched one of the largest drone attacks on Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. I am thankful to Ukraine’s brave air defenders who are protecting us all,” she writes on X.
Sources: Ukrainian Air Force, Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk, Kyiv City State Administration, Head of Kyiv City State Administration, Head of Dnipro Regional Military Administration, Head of Poltava Regional Military Administration, Head of Cherkasy Regional Military Administration, Head of Kherson Regional Military Administration, Head of Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Head of Sumy Regional Military Administration, US Ambassador to Ukraine, State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
