Russia launches 172 drones at Ukraine overnight, most intercepted
In the night of September 21, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 172 drones of various types, including 64 jet-powered Shaheds, Gerbera drones, Parodia decoy drones, and a Banderole/Dan-T missile drone. Ukrainian air defense shot down or suppressed 148 targets, but hits were recorded at 14 locations and debris fell at 4 more. Casualties were reported in Zaporizhzhia and Kropyvnytskyi.
Key points
- Russia launched 172 drones at Ukraine overnight on September 21, in an attack that began from 18:00 on September 20.
- The attack included 64 jet-powered Shahed drones, plus Gerbera drones, Parodia decoy drones, and Banderole/Dan-T missile drones.
- Launch sites included Belgorod, Shatalovo, Orel, Kursk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, and Millerovo in Russia, as well as occupied Donetsk and Gvardiiske in Crimea.
- As of 08:00, Ukrainian air defense had shot down or suppressed 148 targets, including 147 Shahed/Gerbera/other-type UAVs and 1 Banderole/Dan-T.
- Hits by enemy air attack means were recorded at 14 locations, with debris from shot-down drones falling at 4 additional locations.
- In Zaporizhzhia, five people were injured, high-rise buildings were damaged, and a shopping center fire broke out; in Kropyvnytskyi, an infrastructure worker was injured.
- The attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups of Ukraine's Defense Forces.
Why it matters
This was a large-scale overnight drone attack involving 172 aerial targets, underscoring the sustained intensity of Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. Although air defense intercepted the large majority of incoming targets, hits at 14 locations and debris falls at 4 others show that not all threats were stopped. The mix of Shahed variants, decoy drones, and missile drones illustrates Russia's continuing diversification of strike means.
What happened
In the night of September 21, 2026, Russian forces launched 172 strike drones at Ukraine in an attack that had begun from 18:00 on September 20 and was still ongoing as of the morning. The package included 64 jet-powered Shahed drones along with Gerbera drones, Parodia decoy drones, and Banderole/Dan-T missile drones launched from sites in Russia's Belgorod, Shatalovo, Orel, Kursk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, and Millerovo areas, as well as from occupied Donetsk and Gvardiiske in Crimea. As of 08:00, Ukrainian air defense had shot down or suppressed 148 targets — 147 Shahed, Gerbera, and other-type UAVs plus one Banderole/Dan-T. Hits by enemy air attack means were recorded at 14 locations, with falling debris recorded at 4 additional sites. The air attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups of Ukraine's Defense Forces. In Zaporizhzhia, five people were injured, high-rise buildings were damaged, and a fire broke out at a shopping center; in Kropyvnytskyi, an infrastructure worker was injured in a strike.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All available reporting comes from Ukrainian media and agencies and centers on the official Ukrainian Air Force tally. Coverage emphasizes the scale of the attack — 172 drones including 64 jet-powered Shaheds — and the variety of Russian strike means, from decoy drones to missile drones. It credits the performance of Ukrainian air defense, which neutralized 148 of the targets, and notes the human cost: injuries in Zaporizhzhia and Kropyvnytskyi and hits at 14 locations.
Where reporting differs
Official reporting lists both 148 air targets neutralized and 147 Shahed/Gerbera/other UAVs plus 1 Banderole/Dan-T neutralized — a total of 148 — but the two figures are presented as separate tallies that do not perfectly reconcile in framing.
Background
The attack began from 18:00 on September 20 and was still ongoing as of the morning of September 21, with enemy UAVs remaining in Ukrainian airspace. Launch sites included Belgorod, Shatalovo, Orel, Kursk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, and Millerovo in Russia, as well as occupied Donetsk and Gvardiiske in Crimea. Ukraine's air defense response combined aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces. Casualties and damage were reported in Zaporizhzhia — five people injured, high-rise buildings damaged, a shopping center fire — and in Kropyvnytskyi, where an infrastructure worker was injured.