Ukrainian air defenses down 1 rocket, 61 drones to foil Russian overnight attack

Source: Ukrainian Air Force

Ukraine faced another sleepless night as Russian forces unleashed a barrage of 70 attack drones and several missiles across the country in the early hours of September 20.

According to Ukrainian Air Force, Russian troops fired three unidentified missiles toward Donetsk suburbs while an X-59 guided missile targeted Dnipropetrovsk, with both launched from the Zaporizhzhia region.  At least 70 Iranian-made Shahed drones were launched from multiple locations in Russia, including Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Kursk, and Yeysk.

Ukrainian air defenses showed sharp response that helped down 61 drones and the X-59 missile. Nine other drones were disabled by electronic warfare systems in various regions, preventing further damage. No reports of casualties or significant damage have been confirmed.

The drone defense efforts extended across much of Ukraine, with anti-aircraft operations underway in regions like Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Sumy, Poltava, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Khmelnytskyi, Mykolaiv, Odesa, and Kherson.

Ukraine’s air defense was a multi-layered effort, involving aviation units, anti-aircraft missile forces, mobile fire teams, and electronic warfare specialists.