Russia launches 453-drone overnight attack on Ukraine, one of largest of the conflict

Why it matters

The salvo of 453 strike drones launched in roughly 14 hours makes this one of the largest single-night drone attacks of the war. By mixing Gerbera decoys, Parodia imitators, S8000 Banderol missiles, and jet-powered Shaheds, Russia aimed to overwhelm Ukrainian air defense and exploit rainy weather to reduce the effectiveness of both jet-powered targeting and electronic warfare. Strikes reached far from the front line, hitting western oblasts and Odesa and damaging an enterprise in Khmelnytskyi Oblast and a multi-storey residential building in Odesa.

What happened

Starting at 18:00 on Saturday, September 12, Russian forces launched 453 strike drones at Ukraine in one of the largest single-night salvos of the war. The attack ran through the night of September 12–13, with launches from Shatalovo, Oryol, Kursk, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia, as well as from occupied Hvardiiske in Crimea and the Sea of Azov. Types deployed included Shahed strike UAVs (including jet-powered variants), Gerbera drones, Parodia imitation drones, and S8000 Banderol cruise missiles.

Ukrainian air defense, drawing on aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups, engaged the incoming drones. As of 08:00 on Sunday, September 13, the Air Force reported that 405 enemy UAVs of various types had been shot down or suppressed, with four S8000 Banderol missiles also destroyed. Hits were recorded at 13 locations, and falls of downed drones and their debris were recorded at 7 additional locations. Some sources gave the total neutralized as 409 targets.

The main directions of the strike were the western oblasts and Odesa. A fire broke out at an enterprise in Khmelnytskyi Oblast due to falling drone debris, and a multi-storey residential building in Odesa was damaged. On the morning of September 13, explosions were heard in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, and Lviv oblasts, with the Air Force warning that drones were moving from northern oblasts toward Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, and Lviv. As of 08:00, the attack was still ongoing, with strike drones remaining in Ukrainian airspace. During a daytime window from 6:30 to 18:00 on September 13, Ukrainian air defense engaged 310 of 323 strike UAVs used that day, including 9 jet-powered variants, with hits recorded from 10 enemy strike UAVs. Over the previous day Russian attackers launched 863 strike assets in total.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Ukrainian coverage is anchored in Air Force of Ukraine figures, emphasizing both the scale of the attack — 453 drones launched in one overnight window and 863 strike assets over the day — and the share neutralized by air defense. Reporting focuses on the geographic spread of the strike across western oblasts and Odesa, citing hits and damage in Khmelnytskyi, Odesa, Rivne, Mykolaiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Ternopil, and stresses that the attack was still ongoing at 08:00 with drones remaining airborne. Commentary by Serhiy (Flash) Beskrestnov frames the rainy weather as a deliberate Russian tactic to reduce the effectiveness of jet-powered Shahed targeting and of Ukrainian electronic warfare, rather than a coincidence.

Where reporting differs

Ukrainian sources differ on the number of drones neutralized in the overnight attack. Most outlets, citing the Air Force of Ukraine, report that 405 drones plus 4 S8000 Banderol missiles were shot down or suppressed as of 08:00. At least one source gives a higher round total of 409 targets downed or suppressed. Separately, reporting on the daytime phase of the attack from 6:30 to 18:00 on September 13 states that 310 of 323 strike UAVs were engaged — a different, later window — rather than a revision of the overnight figure.

Background

Throughout 2025 Russia has scaled up its UAV strikes on Ukraine, combining one-way attack drones with decoy imitators to saturate Ukrainian air defense. Western and southern oblasts, including Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, and Odesa, have become routine targets as Moscow seeks to pressure rear-area infrastructure and civilian populations far from the front line. Ukraine's air defense response is layered, combining aviation, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare, unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups to counter large-scale drone attacks.