Russia launched 410 drone strikes against Ukraine in just 11.5 hours on September 12, the Ukrainian Air Force reported. Among the aircraft used were 37 drones.
The large-scale attack was carried out between 06:30 and 18:00 local time. According to preliminary data, Ukrainian air defenses shot down or neutralized 336 of the 410 drones, including 23 drones.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported confirmed hits on 21 drones. The data remains preliminary and may be updated.
The attack has not ended with the publication of the statistics. As of 6:00 p.m., the Ukrainian military had observed about 55 strike drones that were still in the country's airspace, and new groups of drones were also registered.
This means that the final number of drones used by Russia for the entire period of September 12 may be higher than the announced 410.
The attacks began at night
Today's wave of drones comes after a massive combined Russian attack on the night of September 12.
According to data from the Ukrainian Air Force, at that time Russia used ballistic missiles “Iskander-M“/KN-23, eight cruise missiles “Kaliber“, six guided aircraft missiles Kh-59/69 and 129 drones of various types.
The main focus of the night attack was the Odessa region. The Ukrainian air defense reported that it had shot down or suppressed 110 air targets, including 101 drones and nine missiles or other guided munitions. Missile and attack drone hits were recorded in 20 locations.
Civil infrastructure was hit in the Odessa region. According to regional authorities, at least 12 people were injured, including a child, and the upper floors of a residential building were destroyed.
Striking Zaporizhia, Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih
The attacks continued in different parts of the country.
A Russian drone hit a private residential area in Zaporizhia. A house was destroyed, and according to the latest update from local authorities, two people were killed and one woman was injured. The information was confirmed by the Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform.
A strike was also recorded in Dnipro, where a fire broke out in a company after the attack. Later in the night, a strike was also reported in Kryvyi Rih, in which one person was killed and two were injured.
Ukrainian authorities also reported damage to railway infrastructure in the Myrhorod district of Poltava region. Equipment used by railway employees was damaged.
Jet drones become a new problem for air defense
The use of 37 jet drones in the daytime attack alone is of particular interest.
Jet drones represent a more difficult target for air defense due to their higher speed. Of the 37 such machines reported, the Ukrainian side claims to have managed to shoot down or suppress 23.
Their use is increasing. Reuters reported a day earlier that Russia has been carrying out almost constant attacks with faster jet drones over the past two weeks, including against Kiev. Two gas stations in the Ukrainian capital were hit on September 11, killing two people and wounding at least 12 others, including a child.
Air war intensifies
The scale of the September 12 attack is yet another sign of the growing role of drones in the war.
The previous night alone, since the evening of September 10, Russia had used 161 strike and other drones against Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force said it had neutralized 138 of them.
Ukraine, for its part, has also been stepping up long-range strikes against targets on Russian territory. Reuters reports that both sides are increasingly targeting logistics, energy and other economic infrastructure in an attempt to weaken the adversary's ability to wage war.
The 410 drone count is an interim tally as of 6 p.m., not a final count for the day. After that hour, the Ukrainian Air Force continued to issue warnings of drone strikes, so the final estimate of the scale of the attack is expected to be higher.