Russia poured a record number of war drones against Ukraine

On the night of November 26, Russia launched a record number of drones to strike Ukrainian cities—188. Ukraine’s air defense shot down 76 drones, while electronic warfare claimed the lives of 95 others.

In addition, Russian troops launched 4 Iskander-M ballistic missiles at Ukraine. Air raid alerts were sounded in all regions of Ukraine.

“On the night of November 26, the invaders attacked Ukraine with Iskander-M ballistic missiles from the Voronezh and Kursk regions. During the night attack, the enemy launched a record number of Shahed strike UAVs and unidentified drones from the directions of Orel, Bryansk, Kursk, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk—Russia,” the Ukrainian Air Force wrote.

Russians poured 188 war drones against Ukraine, hitting critical infrastructure in Ternopil

However, not all Russian attack drones were shot down. The Air Force, as well as local media, reported that critical infrastructure was hit.

In particular, the Russians attacked the city of Ternopil in western Ukraine. At 1 a.m., explosions were heard in Ternopil, after which the city and the settlements near Ternopil lost power and heating.

“Unfortunately, critical infrastructure facilities were hit, and private and apartment buildings were damaged in several regions due to a massive drone attack. Preliminary, there were no casualties,” the Air Force wrote.

Allies to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense

Germany announced that it is going to provide Ukraine with two IRIS-T short- and medium-range air defense systems by the end of 2024. Major General Christian Freuding, director of the German Ministry of Defense’s special staff for Ukraine, announced this in Kyiv.

The German official said that the next IRIS-T SLM (medium-range) and SLS (short-range) systems will arrive in Ukraine within the next several days and weeks, possibly by Christmas. Christian Freuding also stated that Berlin’s support for Ukraine will continue in the future.

In early September, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that Germany has ordered 17 IRIS-T air defense systems for Ukraine. This includes eight medium-range systems (SLM) and nine additional short-range systems (SLS). In October, there were four SLM systems and three SLS systems in Ukraine.

Russia’s tactics: to overload Ukraine’s air defense

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have received many advanced medium- and long-range air defense systems from Western allies. Thanks to these supplies, Ukraine’s air defenses manage to shoot down most of the Russian drones and missiles. However, Russian air attacks continue to plague Ukraine nearly three years into Russia’s all-out war.

Russian troops employ the tactics of massive airstrikes, combining their attacks with dozens of war drones and missiles of various types. In addition, Putin’s troops attack many regions of the country simultaneously. Thus, the Russians are overloading Ukraine’s air defense system. 

Due to the overwhelming air defense, some missiles and drones are able to reach their targets, resulting in the destruction of infrastructure and residential buildings in Ukrainian cities. We see devastating pictures of the aftermath of these strikes in residential areas every week. Thus, air defense strengthening is needed to repel massive attacks and close the sky over Ukraine to Russian missiles.