In the night of October 9-10, russian forces launched one of the largest combined air assaults against Ukraine in recent months, deploying nearly 500 aerial weapons in a single wave. The attack included a mix of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as hundreds of Shahed-type and other strike drones. The Ukrainian Air Force radar and electronic warfare units tracked a staggering 497 aerial threats, including 32 missiles and 465 drones of various types.
The assault came from multiple directions, including russia's Kursk, Millerovo, Shatalovo, Orel, Shakhty, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk regions, with nearly 200 Iranian-made Shahed drones leading the offensive. Russia also employed two Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles from Lipetsk region, 14 Iskander-M ballistic missiles, 12 Iskander-K cruise missiles, and four Kh-59/69 guided air-launched missiles. The combination of launch vectors and weapon types was designed to overwhelm Ukrainian defenses and probe for weaknesses across the country's air defense network.
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Despite the scale of the assault, Ukraine's integrated defense system, including fighter aviation, surface-to-air missile brigades, electronic warfare teams, and mobile fire units, responded effectively. By 10:00 am on October 10, Ukrainian forces had successfully shot down or suppressed 420 targets, among them 405 enemy drones, one Kinzhal, four Iskander-M, nine Iskander-K, and one Kh-59/69 missiles.
The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that at least 13 missiles and 60 drones struck their intended or nearby targets across 19 different locations, while debris from intercepted munitions fell in seven others. Although the extent of the damage and casualties is still being assessed, the defense's interception rate, roughly 85 percent, demonstrates the continued resilience and growing sophistication of Ukraine's air defense umbrella.
Notably, the interception of the Kinzhal missile underscores the increasing success of Western-supplied systems such as the Patriot and SAMP/T batteries in countering even hypersonic threats once deemed "unstoppable". Each successful engagement of such high-speed missiles further erodes russia's strategic advantage and validates months of Ukrainian technical and tactical adaptation.
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