Russia launches 262 drones at Ukraine overnight, air defenses stop most of them
Mobile fire group (photo: Getty Images)
On the night of May 25, Russia launched a new aerial attack on Ukraine, using 262 drones. Hits were recorded at several locations, along with crashes of downed drones, the Air Force reported.
The attack began at 5:30 PM on May 24.
According to the military, the Russian army launched 262 attack drones of various types. Among them were Shahed drones, including jet-powered modifications, as well as Gerbera, Italmas, and Parodiya decoy drones.
The launches were carried out from Russian territory — from the areas of Oryol, Kursk, Shatalovo, Bryansk, Millerovo, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk, as well as from Hvardiiske in temporarily occupied Crimea.
How air defense operated
The air attack was repelled by:
- Aviation
- Anti-aircraft missile troops
- Electronic warfare units
- Unmanned systems forces
- Mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
As of 8:00 AM, Ukrainian air defense had shot down or suppressed 246 enemy drones in the north, south, and east of the country.
"Hits by 10 attack UAVs were recorded at 9 locations, as well as crashes of downed drones (debris) at 7 locations," the Air Force said in a statement.
The military warned that the attack was still ongoing as of the morning.
Recently, the Ukrainian Air Force denied reports about Russia allegedly using radioactive drones. The elevated radiation level detected on the debris of one of the downed drones does not indicate a new weapon used by the Russian army.
