Mass Drone Exchanges Over Two Nights Overwhelm Russian and Ukrainian Defences

Overview

• Ukraine's Air Force said Russian forces launched 149 strike drones over the night, reporting that air defences shot down 114 while 27 offensive aerial assets struck 24 locations and debris fell at 14 sites.
• Ukraine described the attack as using Shahed loitering munitions, Gerbera attack drones and Parodiya decoys launched from Oryol, occupied Donetsk Oblast and Hvardiiske in occupied Crimea.
• Moscow authorities and Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said air defences intercepted large numbers of Ukrainian UAVs, reporting 75 destroyed en route to the city and 144 intercepted overall, with emergency teams working at debris sites.
• All operational tallies and strike counts come from the combatant authorities and state outlets, which report differing figures and may be updated as independent verification arrives.
• The exchanges show continued reliance on jet-powered loitering munitions and decoys to saturate defences, a tactic that raises civilian risk from falling debris and could strain air-defence and emergency response capacity.