Russia Overnight Launched Single Biggest Drone Attack On Kiev Since War's Start
While the world's attention has been focused on the Middle East since Israel's overnight killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh at one of his residences in Tehran, resulting in the the potential for bigger regional war, Ukraine's air force has said it repelled one of the largest Russian drone assaults of the conflict.
An overnight attack by Russia resulted in a reported 89 drones and one missile being intercepted over the Kyiv region. It marks perhaps the single biggest drone attack ever focused on the capital region, with Kyiv city administration head Serhiy Popko also describing "one of the most massive drone attacks on Ukraine during the entire war."
Explosions were also reported over the other Ukrainian regions of Mykolayiv, Dnipro, Sumy and Poltava. Ukraine's military identified many of the inbound projectiles in the capital region as Iran-made Shahed-131/136 strike drones. "Today Ukrainian air defense withstood and repelled a massive attack by enemy drones," an air force statement said.
There have been at least half a dozen prior drone attacks, albeit on a much smaller scale, on the area in the month of July. This latest sent over 11,000 people into the safety of metro stations during the assault in which drones came in multiple waves from "all possible directions," city authorities said.
Apparently there were such large numbers of drones due to the presence of unarmed decoys, as Reuters details:
Military spy agency spokesman Andriy Yusov said in televised remarks that Russia had used a "significant" number of decoy drones that were not loaded with explosives to try to deplete Ukraine's air defences and also identify their locations.
The major new assault appears retaliation and 'punishment' from Moscow for a Ukraine cross-border operation which happened Sunday, reportedly resulting in damage two Tu-22M3 bomber planes parked at an airfield in Murmansk, in Russia's far north.
Ukraine's government had hailed it as another successful long-range drone strike on a Russian base: "Destroying the enemy’s aircraft that is striking Ukraine is a priority. We can reach it everywhere," announced Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential administration.
🔥 On the Olenya military airfield, in Murmansk, Russia, two Tu-22M3 strategic bombers were damaged
— Jason Jay Smart (@officejjsmart) July 31, 2024
A 🇺🇦 UAV flew across the entire length of Russia, 1800 KMs, did not trigger air defense & exploded on the airplanes - setting a record for flight distance for an attack. pic.twitter.com/yaRdzPkkUt
But each time Ukraine celebrates a cross-border attack on Russia, Moscow retaliates with something bigger and typically more devastating. Sadly, it is the Ukrainian civilian population that often suffers with deaths, casualties, and the loss of further vital infrastructure.
President Zelensky over the past several months has been pleading with his international backers for more anti-air defense systems, including US Patriot batteries.