Shahed drones launched from north and south trigger alerts in several regions

During the night of May 16, Russian forces launched kamikaze drones toward Ukraine from both the north and the south. The Ukrainian military first reported drone activity coming from the Kursk region in Russia and temporarily occupied areas in the Kherson region.

The Shahed drones were detected in the central part of the Kharkiv region, the northern Donetsk region, and the Sumy region.

The Ukrainian Air Force also warned residents of Chernihiv, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions about the threat of drone strikes from various directions.

At 01:33 AM Kyiv time, military reports confirmed the movement of drones toward the city of Pavlohrad in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Drone movement data

At 01:40 AM Kyiv time, updated information showed enemy drone activity in:

• central and eastern Kharkiv region (moving west/southwest);

• northern Donetsk region (moving west);

• from the Kursk region into the Sumy region (moving west/southwest);

• eastern Chernihiv region (moving west/southwest);

• southeastern Poltava region (moving west/southwest/northwest);

• eastern Dnipropetrovsk region (moving southwest).

In addition, drones were reportedly heading from the east toward Chernihiv and Poltava cities.

At 01:56 AM Kyiv time, the Air Force reported: "In the Black Sea area, drones launched from the occupied Kherson region are moving west/northwest."

At 02:20 AM Kyiv time, new data showed drones in:

• central and southern Kharkiv region (moving west/southwest);

• the border between Poltava and Kharkiv regions (moving northwest);

• central Sumy region (moving southwest);

• central Chernihiv region (moving west/southwest);

• central Poltava region (moving west/northwest);

• northern and southern Dnipropetrovsk region (moving south/northwest).

Local authorities in affected regions urged residents to seek shelter and follow the two walls rule for safety.

As of now, the air raid map for Ukraine reflects widespread alerts:

Monitoring groups also reported the possibility of a large-scale drone strike during the night and noted that Russia had launched over 100 kamikaze drones toward Ukraine.

Previous Shahed attack

During the previous night's air raid, Russian forces launched 110 drones at Ukraine. The Shaheds attacked from four directions - the Russian cities of Bryansk, Kursk, Oryol, and Millerovo.

Thanks to the work of Ukraine’s air defense forces and equipment, 62 drones were shot down, and another 29 decoy drones were lost from radar tracking without causing any damage.

Amid that drone attack, explosions were heard in Lutsk in the early hours of May 15.