On October 31, 2026, Ukraine repelled a massive aerial attack. According to RBC-Ukraine citing the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, throughout the day—from 06:30 to 19:30—Russian occupation forces attacked the country with 168 strike drones. Air defense forces managed to shoot down and suppress 122 unmanned aerial vehicles, which is the absolute majority of the deployed air attack assets.

Attack Composition and Combat Dynamics

Among the 168 strike drones engaged in combat throughout the day were 51 jet-powered drones, as well as Gerbera-type drones and other modifications, including the S8000 'Banderol/Dan-T'. As of evening, about 30 strike drones remained in the country's airspace, and as the Air Force specified, the combat work of the air defense was ongoing.

Air Defense Results

According to the air defense report, 122 drones were shot down or suppressed, including 37 jet drones and two S8000 'Banderol/Dan-T' UAVs. Thus, the overwhelming part of the daytime attack was neutralized before reaching targets, which corresponds to the standard dynamics of repelling drone raids in recent months of the conflict.

Context: Night Attack and Strikes on Kyiv's Infrastructure

Recall that on the night of October 31, Russian troops attacked Ukraine with strike drones from six directions simultaneously. Air defense forces managed to shoot down most enemy drones, but hits were recorded. On the evening of October 30, Russian drones struck a critical infrastructure facility in Kyiv three times: this caused power grid failures in the capital, a drop in the water supply pressure, and left some districts without water.

Discrepancy in Figures Among Publications

Some Ukrainian media outlets cite slightly different figures for the same event: thus, Gazeta.ua reports an attack with 160 drones and 117 shot down or suppressed by air defense. The difference is most likely explained by different data recording times (intermediate and final reports), while both sources confirm the scale of the attack and the fact that air defense shot down the majority of the drones.