Ukraine repels massive Russian drone attack, shoots down 78 Shaheds
Russia launched 105 Shahed drones against Ukraine overnight on 3 October. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 78 drones across 15 oblasts. Reports suggest three drones could have reached targets.
Ukraine’s air defense forces successfully repelled a massive Russian drone attack in the early hours of 3 October, according to reports from the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Kyiv City Military Administration.
The Air Force reported that Russia launched a total of 105 Shahed-136/131 one-way attack drones from various locations, including Oryol, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Kursk in Russia, and Cape Chauda in occupied Crimea. Ukrainian air defenses managed to shoot down 78 Russian drones across 15 oblasts, including Kyiv, Cherkasy, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Poltava, Chernihiv, Kherson, Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Rivne, and Ivano-Frankivsk.
Additionally, one Shahed flew towards Belarus, and 23 were “locationally lost” in various regions “presumably as a result of active electronic warfare countermeasures,” as per the Air Force, which suggests that only three Shaheds could have reached their targets.
The Kyiv City Military Administration said that the air raid alert in the capital lasted for five and a half hours. Air defense systems detected and intercepted approximately 15 attack drones around and over Kyiv. Debris from the downed drones was reported in the Desnyanskyi district of the city, but no significant damage or casualties were reported.
According to the military administration, the Russian tactics remained unchanged, with drones approaching the city from various directions and altitudes, attacking in different group sizes. The first groups of drones arrived before midnight, with additional waves continuing throughout the night.
The Kyiv City Military Administration emphasized that despite the intensity of the attack, none of the drones achieved their intended targets in the capital.
Related:
- Russian claims of ODAB-9000 super bomb use in Vovchansk refuted by Ukrainian military
- Ukraine downs Russia’s Starlink-equipped Shahed-136 suicide drone
- Russian strikes on Kherson market and Zaporizhzhia high-rise kill seven civilians
- Massive Russian air assault kills civilian, damages power grid; other attacks kill at least seven more
- Ukraine repels massive daily Russian drone attack, as bomb strike kills one, injures six in Zaporizhzhia
- Ukraine repels massive Russian explosive drone assault, destroying 71/80 Shaheds
You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this.
We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society.
A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support.
