Night attack on Ukraine: Russia uses drones, ballistic missiles, and Zircons
Illustrative photo: Air defense forces shot down 33 missiles and 274 drones at night (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
On the night of February 22, Russia attacked Ukraine with dozens of missiles of various types and 297 strike drones. Ukrainian air defense forces managed to shoot down most of the enemy targets, according to the Telegram channels of the Ukrainian Air Force and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to the military, from 7:00 p.m. on February 21 until the morning of February 22, Russia carried out a combined strike on Ukraine's critical infrastructure using strike drones as well as air- and ground-launched missiles.
In total, Ukrainian Air Force radar units recorded 345 aerial attack assets:
- 4 Zircon anti-ship missiles (launch area: temporarily occupied Crimea);
- 22 Iskander-M / S-400 ballistic missiles (launch areas: Bryansk and Belgorod regions of Russia, temporarily occupied Donetsk region);
- 18 Kh-101 cruise missiles (launch area: Vologda region, Russia);
- 2 Iskander-K cruise missiles (launch area: Kursk region);
- 4 guided air-launched missiles Kh-59/69 (launch area: Kursk region);
- 297 strike drones of types Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas, and other UAVs (from Bryansk, Kursk, Orel, Shatalovo, Millerovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia, and temporarily occupied Crimea). About 200 of these were Shaheds.
The main strike directions were Kyiv region, Odesa region, Kirovohrad region, and Poltava region.
The air attacks were countered by aviation, surface-to-air missile units, electronic warfare and UAV units, and mobile fire groups of Ukraine’s defense forces.
According to preliminary data as of 10:00 a.m., air defense had destroyed or suppressed 307 targets, including 33 missiles and 274 drones of various types:
- 2 Zircon anti-ship missiles;
- 8 Iskander-M / S-400 ballistic missiles;
- 17 Kh-101 cruise missiles;
- 2 Iskander-K cruise missiles;
- 4 guided air-launched missiles Kh-59/69;
- 274 enemy drones of various types.
There were confirmed hits by 14 missiles and 23 strike drones at 14 locations, as well as the fall of destroyed UAV fragments at 5 locations.
Information regarding several other enemy missiles is being verified.
Zelenskyy's reaction
According to the president, Russia struck Kyiv and the surrounding region, Dnipro region, Kirovohrad region, Mykolaiv region, Odesa region, Poltava region, and Sumy region.
In Fastiv district of Kyiv region, one person was killed in the strike. Eight people were injured, including one child.
The main target of the strikes was energy infrastructure, but ordinary residential buildings were also hit, and there was damage to railways.
"Moscow continues to invest more in strikes than in diplomacy. Just this week, Russia launched over 1,300 strike drones, more than 1,400 guided aerial bombs, and 96 missiles of various types against Ukraine, including dozens of ballistic missiles," Zelenskyy said.
He emphasized that this is why it is necessary to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense systems. Effective systems are needed to counter ballistic threats.
Ukraine under attack on February 22
As a reminder, on the night of February 22, Russia carried out massive strikes on Ukraine using drones and missiles of various types.
Several regions reported damage, fires, and power outages. In Kyiv region, people were rescued from under debris, while in Odesa, energy infrastructure was damaged.
In particular, in Odesa region, energy facilities were hit again by drones, and fires broke out at impact sites.
For more details on the effects of Russia's night attack on Ukraine, see the full report.
