Russia targets Ukraine with record drone strikes in October – Ukraine’s General Staff
Source: Ukraine’s General Staff
Russia launched a record-breaking number of drones against Ukraine in October 2024. The General Staff said on Friday that 2,023 Russian drones targeted civilian and military sites across the country. These included both Shahed attack drones and unidentified drone types.
Ukrainian air defense took down or neutralized 1,185 of these drones, while another 738 went missing from radars. Twenty nine drones ended up out of Ukraine’s airspace.
This year, Russian troops have deployed 6,987 attack drones against Ukraine, with most of those targeting civilian infrastructure and critical facilities.
“Thanks to the skills and dedication of the Defense Forces, thousands of Ukrainian lives have been saved from Russian air terror, and hundreds of homes and essential facilities have been safeguarded,” the General Staff said. Anti-aircraft units, aviation, electronic warfare units, and mobile fire teams continue their relentless work to shield Ukraine’s skies around the clock.
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In 2025, the deadliest year yet for civilians, Ukraine’s three largest charitable foundations raised a record 105.9 billion hryvnias. It is more than the years 2022–2024 combined. According to the UN, humanitarian aid in Ukraine was delivered by more than 450 organisations, reaching five million people over the course of the year. Civic foundations hold licences to purchase lethal weapons, which is a function states have monopolised for centuries. These record sums were underwritten by international government grants, which means foreign states now channel billions directly through Ukrainian civic funds, bypassing inter-state channels. It is hard to imagine a stronger institutional trust in civil society.