Ukraine repels massive overnight drone attack, 58 out of 67 drones shot down

Ukraine's air force announced on Saturday that Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack using 67 Shahed drones, of which 58 were intercepted and destroyed.

The drones were part of a long-range strike targeting multiple regions across Ukraine, with air defense systems activated in 11 different areas.

Debris from the drones was found near the parliament building in Kyiv, with the legislature posting photos of the fragments on its official Telegram channel. Several pieces of wreckage were seen scattered near the steps of the parliament's main entrance, some bearing shrapnel damage.

While rare, this incident marks one of the few times Russian drones or missiles have penetrated deep into central Kyiv. The capital is heavily fortified by both Soviet-era and Western-supplied air defense systems, particularly in the government quarter, which houses key buildings like the offices of the president and the central bank.

Residents of Kyiv were woken by a series of loud explosions at around 3 a.m. local time, with blasts echoing through the city center.

Since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, Moscow has frequently used Shahed drones, supplied by Iran, as a cheaper alternative to missiles. These drones, which have been deployed since September 2022, are propeller-powered, fly at lower speeds, and are harder for conventional air defense systems to detect due to their lower altitude and reduced heat signature.

Ukraine's air force stated that the drones in this latest attack were launched from two Russian border regions as well as the Russian-occupied Crimea peninsula.