Unprecedented Drone Strike: Russia Launches 728 Drones Against Ukraine

On the night of Wednesday, July 9, Russia launched its largest drone assault on Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the attack involved over 700 drones of various types, along with cruise and aeroballistic missiles.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, starting at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 8, Russian forces launched a total of 741 aerial weapons against Ukraine:

• 728 strike UAVs (Shahed-type drones and various decoy drones) were launched from the directions of Bryansk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Kursk, Oryol, and Millerovo — of these, approximately 300 were actual attack drones;
• Seven Kh-101/Iskander-K cruise missiles were fired from the Engels area in the Saratov region and the Kursk region;
• Six Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles were launched from the airspace over the Lipetsk region.

The primary target of Russia’s overnight strike was the city of Lutsk.

The aerial attack was countered by Ukrainian aviation, air defense missile units, electronic warfare (EW) units, and unmanned systems.

Additionally, mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defense Forces were actively involved in combating enemy drones.

As of 08:30 a.m., preliminary reports indicate that 718 enemy aerial targets were neutralized, including:

• 296 Shahed-type and other UAVs shot down by Ukrainian firepower, 415 drones were jammed or lost contact due to electronic warfare systems;
• Seven Kh-101/Iskander-K cruise missiles were intercepted.

Russian missiles and drones struck four locations, while debris from downed targets was reported in 14 areas.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the large-scale Russian assault, describing it as a “deliberate show of force.”

Нова масштабна атака Росії проти наших міст. Було найбільше повітряних цілей за добу – 741 ціль: 728 дронів різних типів, із яких понад 300 – це «шахеди», і 13 ракет – «кинджали» та «іскандери». Більшість цілей було збито. Застосовувалися наші дрони-перехоплювачі – є десятки… pic.twitter.com/Yj3aEhAL67— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 9, 2025

He reported that Ukrainian interceptor drones shot down dozens of targets overnight, while mobile fire groups eliminated additional targets.

According to President Zelenskyy, in addition to Lutsk, damage was also recorded in the Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv regions.