Russia launches a record-high 188 strike drones into Ukraine
Source: Ukraine’s Air Force
Russia unleashed a record-breaking 188 drones in a massive overnight assault targeting Ukrainian cities on Monday night and Tuesday morning. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, the attack began at 7:30 pm on November 25 and continued into the early hours of November 26, marked an escalation in the use of unmanned aerial weapons.
The barrage included four Iskander-M ballistic missiles launched from Russia’s Voronezh and Kursk regions, along with 188 Shahed drones and other unidentified drones that came in swarms from multiple locations, including Oryol, Bryansk, Kursk, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk.
By morning, Ukrainian air defense systems had downed 76 drones across a wide swath of the country, including Kyiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and 11 other regions. Meanwhile, 95 drones were reportedly lost in flight impacted by electronic warfare jamming, and five more went astray, toward Belarus.
Despite some defensive successes, Ukraine’s Air Force confirmed hits on critical infrastructure. The attack also caused damage to private and multi-story residential buildings in several regions. Morning reports show there were no casualties or injuries.
Ukraine’s defense response was a cooordinated effort of aviation, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare systems, and mobile fire teams from the Air Force and other defense forces.
After the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine witnessed an unprecedented wave of private support for the army. Citizens, big businesses, charitable foundations, and international philanthropists began financing the country’s defense alongside state assistance provided by international partners. Estimates of total private contributions range from tens to hundreds of billions of hryvnias. However, determining the exact amount remains difficult. In many cases, companies combine military aid, humanitarian programs, tax payments, social spending, and employee support in their reporting.
Rinat Akhmetov’s military initiative, “Steel Front”, has delivered a batch of drones worth UAH 214 million to the 1st “Azov” Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine. This shipment is part of the Metinvest Group’s ongoing support for the unit in 2025.
On October 6, the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court of Ukraine continued hearing case No. 990/80/25, in which the fifth President and leader of the party “European Solidarity”, Petro Poroshenko, seeks to have Presidential Decree No. 81/2025 from February 12, 2025 — enacting sanctions by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) — declared illegal and annulled. The plaintiff claims the document was falsified and that the sanctions are a tool of political persecution of the opposition, contrary to international norms. Government representatives deny the allegations and insist their actions were lawful. Journalists of Bukvy were present at the hearing.
Rinat Akhmetov’s Metinvest Group has completed the construction of an upgraded underground NATO Role 2 hospital in one of the hottest sectors of the frontline. This is the second stabilization point established under the Steel Front initiative in cooperation with the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The new facility, funded by Metinvest with an investment of UAH 21 million, is more secure than the first one thanks to its deeper location underground (over 6 meters) and additional fortifications.
Five armored vehicles “Kozak” have received a new mission – thanks to the support of Metinvest, they have been upgraded to full-fledged command and staff vehicles. These upgraded vehicles are now operating on the front line.