On the night of June 29, Ukraine came under a massive air attack. The Russian side launched 108 unmanned aerial vehicles of various types against the country's territory. This was reported by RBK-Ukraine, citing official data from the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Course of the Air Battle
The mass attack began at 18:00 on June 28. The enemy's arsenal included Shahed, Gerber, and Italmas strike drones, as well as Parodia decoy drones designed to distract air defense systems.
The country's defense was held by all available forces: aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare (EW) units, and mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces. As of 08:00 on the morning of June 29, Ukrainian troops managed to shoot down and suppress 82 enemy drones. Fighting took place in the north, south, and east of the country.
The Air Force emphasized that the threat remains: "The attack is ongoing, there are several hostile UAVs in the airspace. Observe safety rules".
Context of Escalation
The night drone attack was a continuation of a series of strikes delivered by Russian forces in the previous 24 hours. On the night of June 28, two anti-ship missiles, either Zircon or Onyx, were launched at Ukraine from the Kursk region, as well as six Iskander-M or S-400 ballistic missiles from the Bryansk region.
Events in the Kharkiv region were particularly tragic. Around 18:35, Russian forces struck the Chuhuiv district with a Tornado-S multiple launch rocket system, where people were vacationing. As a result of the attack, a 54-year-old woman was killed, and eight people were injured, including a 10-year-old girl and a 16-year-old teenager.
A massive air strike was also launched against Zaporizhzhia. As a result of the attack, more than a dozen civilians were injured. Rescue services worked in destroyed homes, searching for people under the rubble.