Russia launches 295 drones at Ukraine overnight; 267 downed or suppressed
Russia attacked Ukraine with 295 strike drones overnight from 24 to 25 September 2026. Ukrainian air defense shot down or suppressed 267 of them by 07:30 on 25 September, with hits recorded at 16 locations and falling debris at 4 locations. Strikes hit two medical facilities in Zaporizhzhia and damaged buildings in Kyiv, where one person was injured and fires broke out.
Key points
- Russia launched 295 strike drones overnight from 24 to 25 September 2026.
- Ukrainian air defense shot down or suppressed 267 of the 267 reported drones as of 07:30 on 25 September.
- Hits were recorded at 16 locations and falling debris at 4 locations.
- The salvo included Shahed strike drones (52 jet-powered), Gerbera, Banderole/Dan-T and Parodia decoy drones.
- Drones were launched from Oryol/Orel, Kursk, Millerovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Shatalovo in Russia and from occupied Donetsk and Gvardiiske.
- In Zaporizhzhia, drones struck two medical facilities; one man was injured and others evacuated.
- In Kyiv one person was injured; buildings were damaged and fires broke out, with additional fires in the Kyiv region.
Why it matters
The attack is among the largest single drone salvos Ukraine has reported. It combined strike drones — including jet-powered Shaheds — with decoy UAVs, a layered tactic designed to overwhelm air defenses. Hits on medical facilities in Zaporizhzhia and on residential areas in Kyiv underline the continued risk to civilian infrastructure from mass drone strikes.
What happened
Starting on the evening of 24 September 2026, Russia launched 295 strike drones at Ukraine, in an attack that continued into the morning of 25 September. The salvo included Shahed drones, 52 of them jet-powered, as well as Gerbera, Banderole/Dan-T and Parodia decoy drones, fired from multiple directions across Russian territory and from the temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk and Gvardiiske. As of 07:30 on 25 September, Ukrainian air defense — drawn from aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units, unmanned systems units and mobile fire groups — had shot down or suppressed 267 of the 267 incoming drones. Hits by aerial weapons were recorded at 16 locations and falling debris at a further four locations. The morning reporting recorded strikes hitting two medical facilities in Zaporizhzhia, where one man was injured and others were evacuated, and damage to hospitals and vehicles. In Kyiv, one person was injured, buildings were damaged and fires broke out in two districts, with additional fires reported in the Boryspil, Obukhiv and Brovary districts of the Kyiv region. Several enemy drones remained in Ukrainian airspace as of the morning of 25 September, meaning the final toll had not yet been determined.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All three supplied sources are Ukrainian and present the figures of the Ukrainian Air Force without challenge. Reporting centers on Ukraine's interception rate — 267 of 295 downed or suppressed — and on the mix of drone types and launch directions, underscoring both the scale of the attack and the response of Ukrainian defenses. The human and infrastructure consequences cited include injuries and damage to medical facilities in Zaporizhzhia, and one person injured along with fires and building damage in Kyiv and the Kyiv region.
Background
The drones were launched from sites across Russian territory — Oryol/Orel, Kursk, Millerovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Shatalovo — as well as from the temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk and Gvardiiske. Ukraine's air defense response drew on aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units, unmanned systems units and mobile fire groups. As of the morning of 25 September, several enemy drones were still in Ukrainian airspace, so the full toll of the attack had not yet been finalized.