Ukrainian Air Force
Ukraine's Air Forces are a separate branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, responsible for air defence and military aviation. The branch is led by a commander who reports through the General Staff. Its units have been engaged in countering Russian air strikes since the start of the full-scale invasion, intercepting drones and cruise missiles. The command headquarters is located in Kyiv.
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Russia hits Kyiv energy facility and medical buildings in large drone attack, one killed in city
On 20 October 2026, Russia struck Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast with a large overnight barrage of strike drones, including jet-powered Shaheds. Debris hit an energy facility in the Shevchenkivskyi district, a medical building in the Solomianskyi district and the upper floors of a medical facility in the Holosiivskyi district, while a drone falling near a gas station on the edge of the Holosiivskyi district killed one man. Four Kyiv districts were partially de-energised, and the metro and funicular halted briefly before service resumed.
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Russia launches massive combined missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight on October 6–7, hitting Kyiv and multiple oblasts
Russia launched a large-scale combined missile and drone strike on Ukraine overnight on October 6–7, deploying ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, and more than 130 strike drones. Main strike directions were Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts. Ukrainian air defense said it shot down or suppressed 161 aerial targets by 09:00 on October 7. Multiple civilians were killed across several cities, including the destruction of a residential building in Pryluky, Chernihiv Oblast. President Zelensky, who had warned the previous day based on intelligence that Russia was preparing a massive strike, described it as one of the "most vile" and said energy infrastructure was a key target.
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Russian drone strikes Kyiv's Northern Bridge, injuring two and closing a second Dnipro crossing
A Russian drone hit the Northern Bridge in Kyiv on the morning of 3 October, damaging the road surface and trolleybus contact network, injuring two people, and closing the bridge to traffic from the left to the right bank. The strike came a day after repeated Russian drone attacks forced the full closure of the Southern Bridge, leaving the capital with two of its main Dnipro crossings out of normal operation.
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Drone crashes in Moldova during Russian mass strike on Ukraine; Chișinău summons Russian envoy
A drone entered Moldovan airspace on the morning of 30 September 2026 and exploded after colliding with a communications mast near the village of Hyrbovăț in Anenii Noi district, during a large Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine. A second drone was detected later in the morning, Moldova temporarily shut parts of its sky, the foreign minister condemned the violation, and the Russian ambassador was summoned.
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Russian drone strikes 9-story residential building in Kyiv's Darnytskyi district
On 27 September, a Russian jet-powered Shahed-type drone struck a 9-story residential building in Kyiv's Darnytskyi district at the 4th–5th floor level, sparking a fire and injuring one woman. The strike was part of a broader day-long drone attack on the capital that damaged kindergartens, schools, a car-service station, the residence of the Saudi Arabian ambassador, and the Kyivstar head office, with nine people injured citywide by evening.
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Russia launches massive ballistic missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight
Russia struck Kyiv overnight on 23–24 September with a combined ballistic missile and drone barrage, killing two people and injuring at least eight across multiple districts. President Zelensky said 60% of the ballistic missiles aimed at Kyiv were intercepted and that the strike coincided with his meeting with U.S. congressmen about the Lindsey Graham sanctions bill. The attack came hours after Ukraine agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire and 51 UN member states called on Russia to follow suit.
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Russian drone strike hits Odesa high-rise, injuring at least seven including two children
Russian forces struck Odesa and Odesa Oblast overnight on September 16–17 with drones and other weapons, damaging a 19-storey residential apartment building and multiple civilian sites. At least seven people were injured across the oblast, including two children, with the casualty count updated multiple times as reports came in.
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Russian drone attack on Kyiv hits gas stations and warehouses, killing one and wounding eleven
Russia struck Kyiv with drones overnight and throughout the day on 15 September, hitting two Ukrnafta gas stations in the Darnytskyi and Holosiivskyi districts, warehouse premises in Obolonskyi, and garage cooperatives in Solomianskyi and Sviatoshynskyi. Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko and the Kyiv City Military Administration (KMVA) reported one person killed and eleven injured across the day, with air defence active and Kyiv City Express service temporarily suspended.