On the night of September 12, 2026, the Russian armed forces delivered a new massive aerial strike on Ukraine, employing missiles of various types and attack drones. According to preliminary data from the Ukrainian Air Force, by 08:30 the Ukrainian air defense system had destroyed or suppressed 110 aerial targets. At the same time, according to the report, strikes by Russian missiles and attack UAVs were recorded at 20 locations, with debris from downed targets falling at four additional sites. At the time of publication, the aerial attack had not been completed — Russian drones remained in the sky over parts of the regions.

Scale and Directions of the Strike

According to information reported by RBC-Ukraine citing a report from the Ukrainian Air Force, drones were launched from several directions: from the Kursk and Orel areas, from the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region, and from Gvardeyskoye in Crimea. This combination of launch sites indicates an attempt by the enemy to attack from multiple axes simultaneously, overloading the air defense system and complicating the identification of priority threats.

How the Aerial Attack Was Repelled

The repelling of the attack was carried out in a comprehensive manner: aviation, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare units, unmanned systems, and mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defense Forces were all engaged. It was precisely this combination of means that, according to preliminary assessments, allowed the overwhelming majority of targets to be suppressed, including ballistic and cruise missiles. The Air Force called on citizens not to ignore air raid alerts and to observe safety rules, as the threat persisted throughout the morning.

Consequences and Recorded Strikes

Despite the high effectiveness of air defense, strikes on ground objects did occur: 20 locations with hits from Russian missiles and attack UAVs were recorded, plus four sites where debris from downed targets fell. The specific list of affected objects and the number of possible casualties were being clarified at the time of preparation of this material, and official services continued to gather data.

Contradictory Data

When cross-checking with additional publications, discrepancies in dates and figures are identified. Some sources, referring to nighttime strikes, date the events to September 9 and 11 and cite different scales (including mention of ballistic missiles and around 196 drones), which may correspond to other attacks in time or to updated summaries. At the same time, materials on the nighttime strike report drone hits on multi-story residential buildings in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia, as well as casualties and fires. Thus, no single consistent picture of the number of targets and exact locations exists at the time of publication, and the figures should be regarded as preliminary.

International Context

The nighttime attack comes against the backdrop of ongoing Western support for Ukrainian air defense. It was previously reported that Canada is allocating hundreds of millions of dollars for interceptor missiles for Ukraine, while the European Commission approved €6.1 billion for the purchase of Patriot missiles and drones. These packages are intended to strengthen precisely those links in the defense system that, on the night of September 12, bore the main load in repelling the massive strike.