russia launched a large-scale overnight aerial assault against Ukraine, firing ballistic missiles, a cruise missile, and more than 130 attack drones in a coordinated strike that targeted multiple regions of the country. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted the majority of the incoming threats, although several missiles and drones reached their targets.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the attack began at 6:00 p.m. local time on July 25 and continued into the early hours of July 26. Russian forces launched the Kh-59/69 guided air-launched missile from the Black Sea, seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles and S-400 missiles from russia's Bryansk, Kursk, and Voronezh regions, as well as 136 unmanned aerial vehicles.
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The drone wave consisted primarily of Shahed loitering munitions, including jet-powered variants, alongside Gerbera and Italmas drones and Parodiya decoy UAVs. The drones were launched from several directions, including Bryansk, Kursk, Oryol, Millerovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, as well as temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk and Crimea.
Ukraine's air defense network responded with a combination of fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missile units, electronic warfare systems, drone-interception units, and mobile fire groups. The layered defense reflects Kyiv's continued effort to counter increasingly complex russian strike packages that combine missiles, attack drones, and decoys.
According to preliminary figures released by the Air Force, Ukrainian defenders shot down or electronically suppressed one Kh-59/69 guided missile, five Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles, and 104 enemy drones of various types. The interceptions were recorded across northern, southern, and eastern Ukraine.
Despite the high interception rate, some russian weapons penetrated Ukraine's defenses. The Air Force reported that two ballistic missiles and 27 attack drones struck targets at 18 separate locations. In addition, debris from intercepted aerial threats fell at seven locations, highlighting the risks posed even by successfully destroyed missiles and drones.
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