Ukrainian air defense downed all 89 Shahed-type attack drones launched by Russia in a mass attack overnight, as well as one Kh-59 missile, the Ukrainian Air Force reported on July 31.
The main direction of the attack was Kyiv and the surrounding region, the Ukrainian Air Force said.
Nine drones were downed above Kherson Oblast, six drones were downed above Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and four drones were downed above Mykolaiv Oblast, according to the local authorities.
The Kyiv City Military Administration said that the attack was the strongest drone attack on the capital so far in 2024, with air defense forces destroying over 40 drones in the city's airspace and nearby areas. No casualties were reported.
One residential building in Kyiv Oblast caught fire after being hit by falling debris from a downed done, the State Emergency Service reported. The building was among 13 buildings damaged by falling debris in the region, the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration said.
The Air Force said that the attack was among the largest mass drone attacks launched by Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion.
The attack, which lasted over seven hours, saw drones entering Kyiv in waves from almost all directions.
Mobile fire groups, tactical aviation, army aviation, anti-aircraft missile units, and electronic warfare were involved in repelling the attack, the Air Force said. The Kh-59 missile was downed as it attempted to target Mykolaiv Oblast.
Russia launched 90 Shahed-type drones in a mass attack last New Year's Eve, 87 of which Ukrainian air defense successfully intercepted.
Kate Tsurkan
