Russia Targets Ukrainian Cities in Hours-Long Overnight Drone Assault

Russian forces launched a mass drone attack across Ukraine overnight on April 20, striking multiple cities, damaging homes and injuring civilians, Ukrainian officials said.

Air raid alerts sounded for hours across much of the country as drones were detected over several regions, including Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv and Poltava.

Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 142 attack drones overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as well as Gerbera, Italmas and other drones. About 100 of them were Shahed drones.

Ukrainian air defenses – including aviation, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare teams and mobile fire groups – were deployed to repel the attack.

“As of [8 a.m.], air defense shot down or suppressed 113 enemy drones across the north, south and east of the country,” the Air Force said.

Officials reported 28 direct drone strikes across 18 locations, as well as falling debris at six additional sites. The attack was still ongoing in the morning, with several drones remaining in Ukrainian airspace.

In the southern city of Mykolaiv, an explosion was reported shortly after 11 p.m. Authorities said a high-rise apartment building, several private homes, vehicles, power lines and tram tracks were damaged. No casualties were reported.

In the Kyiv region, drones struck the Brovary district, where a 50-year-old man was injured and hospitalized, regional officials said. Two private homes were also damaged, and a fire broke out in a residential building.

Other Topics of Interest

WATCH: Ukraine’s Fire Point Tests Missile for Homegrown Anti-Ballistic Shield as Air Defense Shortages Bite

Ukrainian defense company Fire Point has successfully tested its FP-7.X missile, which will serve as the basis for the planned FREYJA anti-ballistic defense system, providing Kyiv with a lower-cost alternative to Patriot interceptors amid ongoing air defense missile shortages.

In Kryvyi Rih, officials said a drone strike hit an infrastructure facility early in the morning. Nearby residential buildings sustained damage. Rescue operations were ongoing, with no casualties immediately reported.

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, was hit multiple times overnight. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said at least three drone strikes were recorded in one district. Two people were injured in the latest strike, shortly before dawn. Authorities were still assessing the full extent of the damage.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, six people were injured in Russian attacks overnight, officials said. Five were wounded in the Nikopol district, three of them hospitalized. One injured man was evacuated by emergency responders.