Russia's largest UAV attack in 2024: air defense operates in Kyiv

Results of the attack on Kyiv

According to the Kyiv City Military Administration, this drone attack was the largest in 2024.

“The air alert lasted more than 7 hours. Enemy drones approached Kyiv in waves and from almost every possible direction. Air defense forces and means destroyed more than three dozen drones in Kyiv's airspace and on the outskirts,” the statement says.

As of 6:15 a.m., there were no casualties or damage in Kyiv.

At around 6:30 a.m., an air alert was re-announced in Kyiv due to the threat of attack drones.

“A new wave of enemy drones continued their nighttime attack on Kyiv with strike UAVs. Several enemy drones were spotted moving in the direction of Kyiv,” the administration wrote.

Later, they added that during the second wave of drone strikes, not a single drone reached its target. The air defense forces hit several more Russian attack UAVs.

“In total, more than four dozen enemy UAVs were shot down in the airspace of Kyiv and on the outskirts of the capital during these two waves,” the administration said, adding that air defense forces and means worked “perfectly well.”

Consequences in the Kyiv region

According to the State Emergency Service, a residential building caught fire in the Kyiv region as a result of the fall of drone debris. Rescuers extinguished the fire.

Explosions in the Kyiv region: ballistic threat

At 10:57 p.m., the Ukrainian Air Force warned of a ballistic missile threat from the north. After that, residents of Kyiv and the Kyiv region heard explosions. 

Vitali Klitschko reported on the work of air defense in the region. The Kyiv City Military Administration stated that no hits/explosions or air defense operations were recorded in the capital.

At 12:08 a.m., the Kyiv Military Administration reported that a UAV had been spotted in the airspace, so air defense forces were working on targets.

At 2:08 a.m., explosions were heard in Kyiv, according to Espreso correspondents.

At 2:36 a.m., the air force announced a missile threat throughout Ukraine due to the takeoff of a MiG-31K from Astrakhan. They also informed about the threat of using the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missile.

As of 3:12 a.m., the Kyiv City Military Administration reports that air defense is operating in the region, and in particular on the outskirts of Kyiv.

Several UAVs are breaking through to Kyiv, from different directions, the work of air defense is heard, Klitschko wrote at 4:04 a.m.