Ukrainian officials stated on Tuesday (November 26th) that Russian forces launched the largest-ever unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack on Ukraine overnight on Monday, deploying 188 drones. This attack led to widespread power outages in key areas of a city in western Ukraine and caused damage to residential buildings in the Kyiv region.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched four Iskander-M ballistic missiles and deployed 188 UAVs in a single attack, setting a record for the number of drones deployed in a single assault. Ukraine shot down 76 drones, lost track of 96, and five drones flew towards Belarus.
Russia utilized cheap “suicide” drones and low-cost “decoy” drones that disrupted Ukraine’s air defenses.
The statement from the Ukrainian Air Force lamented, “Unfortunately, due to this large-scale UAV attack, critical infrastructure was targeted, and private and apartment buildings in multiple areas were damaged.” However, no casualties were reported.
This attack damaged the power grid in Ternopil, a key city in western Ukraine. The regional governor expressed that about 70% of the area experienced power outages, with severe consequences as facilities were significantly impacted, affecting long-term power supply for the entire region.
Ternopil is located approximately 220 kilometers (134 miles) east of Poland, a NATO member country, and had a population of over one million before Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
Local defense authorities noted that the attack also disrupted local water sources and heating systems. However, by early Wednesday morning, water supply had been mostly restored. The local government planned to implement scheduled power outages following the attack.
Russia also targeted the capital city Kyiv overnight. The city’s military administration department announced that air defense forces destroyed over ten Russian drones.
The wreckage of the downed drones damaged multiple residential homes, two high-rise apartment buildings, two garages, and a car in the Kyiv region. The air raid alert in the Kyiv area lasted for over seven hours overnight.
The head of Kyiv’s military administration stated that drones approached Kyiv in a wave-like and multidirectional manner, but there were no reports of damage or casualties in the city.
The intensified UAV attacks on Ukrainian cities come amidst a major offensive by Russian forces on the eastern front of Ukraine, resulting in some of the largest monthly territorial gains since 2022.
Since mid-2024, Russia has escalated its attacks with UAVs, missiles, and glide bombs on civilian areas in Ukraine.
At the same time, Western military analysts indicated that Russian forces have largely maintained battlefield initiative over the past year and made significant tactical progress in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, where Ukraine faces severe manpower shortages on the front lines.
Ukraine is now facing a challenging winter, worrying about potential power disruptions under Russian attacks and the level of support it will receive from the United States once President Trump takes office in January next year.
The Institute for War Studies in Washington stated on Monday evening that Russia’s advances threatened crucial supply routes in Donetsk.
However, the think tank mentioned that Ukraine’s defenses in Donetsk were not in danger of being breached. It also noted that Russia would need to occupy over 8,000 square kilometers (3,000 square miles) of territory to achieve the Kremlin’s goal of seizing the entire Donetsk region.
(References from reports by Reuters and the Associated Press)