Russian forces launched more than 100 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in a massive drone assault against Ukraine early in the morning of June 19, the Ukrainian Air Force reported.
According to the statement shared on Telegram, a total of 104 Shahed-type attack drones and decoy drones were launched from five directions.
As of 8:30 a.m., Ukrainian forces confirmed the destruction of 88 drones across the northern, eastern, southern, and central regions of the country.
Of these, 40 drones were shot down by air defense units, while 48 were neutralized through electronic warfare or lost their positioning.
Despite the defensive success, drone strikes were recorded in at least six locations.
As of 9:04 a.m., an air raid alert was issued in Kyiv due to a suspected ballistic missile threat, but it was later canceled.
Ukrainian officials said Wednesday that at least 28 people were killed after one of the deadliest Russian attacks on the capital on June 17 since the war began more than three years ago.
Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko reported that the search and rescue operation in Kyiv’s Solomyanskyi district lasted for more than 39 hours.
According to the minister, the bodies of 23 victims were recovered from the rubble of a nine-story apartment building in the city’s Solomyansky district. In total, 28 people were killed in Kyiv as a result of the Russian attack on June 17, and another 142 people were injured.
The assault came early Tuesday, when Russia launched dozens of missiles and drones across Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky called it “one of the most horrific attacks” Kyiv has seen during the war.
Russia’s defense ministry said its forces had hit “military-industrial facilities” in the Kyiv region, repeating a statement often issued after large-scale attacks.