Russian Forces Launch Massive Attack on Ukraine with 5 Missiles and 74 Drones

In the early hours of Thursday, Aug. 29, Russian forces launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on Ukraine, targeting multiple regions.

Ukrainian air defense intercepted two missiles and 60 Shahed drones, Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said.

The assault included three X-59/69 guided missiles launched from Russian airspace over the Kursk and Belgorod regions, along with two additional missiles of an unidentified type.

In addition, 74 Shahed-131/136 drones were launched from areas near Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Kursk, and Yeysk.

Ukrainian forces, including anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare systems, and mobile fire groups, repelled the attack.

Fourteen drones evaded interception and fell in various locations across Ukraine.

Around 2 a.m., Shahed drones were detected over Kyiv. Air defense forces neutralized the threat, and no strikes on residential areas were reported.

However, drone debris caused minor fires and damage in several districts, including Holosiivsky and Desnyansky.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, air defenses shot down five drones targeting Nikopol. No casualties were reported. Meanwhile, in Cherkasy, drone debris caused a fire at a private enterprise, though there were no injuries. Eight Shahed drones were intercepted in the region.

This assault was the fourth consecutive overnight attack since Monday, Aug. 26, when Russian missile and drone strikes battered Ukraine’s power grid with 127 missiles and 109 drones, killing at least four people and forcing authorities to introduce emergency blackouts.

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The head of the Kupiansk military administration said the Russian assaults one day earlier as "very difficult" but said the Russian troops retreated and the situation was again under control.

Officials said 15 regions across the country were targeted in the aerial assault which began during the night and which was the biggest in weeks.

The attacks come as Ukraine presses a major cross-border offensive into Russia’s Kursk region, where Kyiv has been battling for nearly three weeks and claimed on Sunday to be advancing.