--- title: "Night attack with 162 drones from five directions: air defense shot down 134 aircraft, hits recorded at 18 locations" description: "On the night of August 26, Russia attacked Ukraine with 162 attack drones from five directions. Air defense shot down 134 aircraft, however hits were recorded at 18 locations and there were casualties." date: 2026-08-26T05:28:02.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/russia-night-attack-162-drones-ukraine-august-26 tags: [ukraine-war, drones, air-defense, russia, shahed] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Night attack with 162 drones from five directions: air defense shot down 134 aircraft, hits recorded at 18 locations ![Air defense soldier manning an anti-aircraft machine gun during a nighttime drone attack](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/26/rf-ataka-162-dronami-po-ukraine-26-avgusta/rf-ataka-162-dronami-po-ukraine-26-avgusta-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - On the night of August 26, 2026, Russia launched 162 attack drones at Ukraine from five directions. - According to preliminary data, air defense shot down or suppressed 134 aircraft by 08:00. - Hits were recorded at 18 locations and debris fell in 3 places. - The attack involved Shahed (including jet-powered), "Gerbera," and "Parodia" decoys. - The day before, on August 25, there were strikes on Chernihiv and Mena, and aerial bombs on Kramatorsk. On the night of August 26, 2026, Russia launched a massive strike on Ukraine using 162 attack drones, fired simultaneously from five directions. According to preliminary data from the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, by 08:00 air defense forces had shot down or suppressed 134 enemy drones in the north, south, and east of the country. Nevertheless, as Ukrainian media report citing official channels, hits have been recorded at 18 locations, as well as the fall of debris from downed aircraft in three additional places. ### Scale of the attack and directions According to data that RBC-Ukraine cites from the Telegram channel of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the attack involved Shahed-type attack drones (including jet-powered ones), as well as "Gerbera"-type aircraft and "Parodia"-type drone decoys. Russian forces launched them along five directions: Kursk, Orel, Primorsko-Akhtarsk (Russian territory), as well as the "VOT Donetsk" and "Gvardiyske — VOT Autonomous Republic of Crimea" directions. According to Ukrainian military assessments, such scale and multi-vector launches are intended to overload air defense systems and breach the defense on several sections of the front simultaneously. ### How the strike was repelled The air attack was repelled in a coordinated manner: aviation, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, as well as mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. It was precisely the combination of these means that, according to preliminary estimates, allowed 134 of the 162 launched drones to be destroyed or suppressed. Meanwhile, the remaining aircraft, as well as debris from downed machines, led to incidents at 18 locations across the country. ### Consequences and casualties In addition to direct hits, strikes on settlements were recorded on the night of August 26 and the day before. In particular, it is reported that the Russians struck Kramatorsk with aerial bombs, and among the injured is a two-month-old infant. These data underscore that even with high air defense effectiveness, individual projectiles and drones reach their targets, including in residential areas. ### Contradictory data There are discrepancies in the details about casualties in publications following the night attack. In the initial Air Force reports and in the materials of several media outlets, the two-month-old infant from Kramatorsk is listed among the *injured*, whereas the headline of a TSN.ua publication refers to a "killed child." Moreover, all figures on downed drones (134 out of 162) and on the number of hit locations (18) are preliminary at the time of publication and may be revised as the consequences are assessed. Until the official report with the final balance of casualties is released, these discrepancies remain unresolved. ### Context: strikes on August 25 The night attack on August 26 was a continuation of a series of massive strikes. On Tuesday, August 25, Russian forces launched a massive drone strike on Chernihiv, as a result of which, according to data at that time, at least two people were injured. Two attacks were also recorded on a "Ukrposhta" branch and on a transport base point for mobile units in the city of Mena, Chernihiv Oblast. The totality of these events shows a consistent enemy tactic — simultaneous strikes on infrastructure, postal hubs, and residential blocks in several regions. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Drones flew from five directions, nearly 20 hits: how air defense repelled Russia's night attack](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/droni-letili-p-yati-napryamkiv-mayzhe-20-1787721291.html) - Подтверждает 5 направлений, ~18-20 прилетов и отражение атаки ПВО; совпадает с базовым текстом. - [More than 160 drones attacked Ukraine: air defense shot down 134 drones, there are hits](https://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/news/2026/08/26/8050335/) - Совпадает по ключевым цифрам: 160+ дронов, 134 сбито, есть попадания. - [Killed child, "hits" on residential buildings: Russia struck Ukraine from 5 directions, and where still ...](https://tsn.ua/ru/ukrayina/ubityy-rebenok-prilety-po-zhilym-domam-rf-udaril-po-ukraine-iz-5-napravleniy-i-gde-do-sih-por-letit-karta-3155798.html) - Подтверждает 5 направлений и прилеты по жилым домам; заголовок указывает на «убитого ребенка», что расходится с формулировкой ВСУ о младенце среди пострадавших. - [Russia launched more than 160 drones at Ukraine at night: how many air defense shot down](https://ru.slovoidilo.ua/2026/08/26/novost/bezopasnost/rf-nochyu-vypustila-ukraine-bolee-160-dronov-skolko-sbila-pvo) - Совпадает по объему атаки (160+ дронов) и роли ПВО. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: How many drones did Russia launch at Ukraine on the night of August 26? **A:** According to the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, 162 attack drones, including Shahed (including jet-powered), "Gerbera," and "Parodia" decoys. ### Q: How many drones did air defense shoot down? **A:** According to preliminary data as of 08:00, 134 aircraft were shot down or suppressed in the north, south, and east of the country. ### Q: Were there hits and casualties? **A:** Yes, hits were recorded at 18 locations and debris fell in 3 places. There are also reports of an aerial bomb strike on Kramatorsk, with an infant among the injured; the exact balance is being clarified.