Ukraine thwarts massive overnight drone attack, shoots down 72 out of 76 Shaheds launched by Russia
Russian forces launched 76 Shahed drones at Ukraine overnight on September 14, 2024, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Out of the total, 72 were successfully intercepted by Ukrainian air defenses.
"On the night of September 14, 2024, the enemy attacked with Shahed-type UAVs. Radiotechnical troops of the Air Forces detected and tracked 76 Shaheds coming from Kursk, Yeisk—Russia, and Chauda—Crimea," the report stated.
The attack was met by aviation, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare units, and mobile fire groups of Ukraine's defense forces. As a result, 72 enemy combat drones were brought down across the regions of Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Poltava, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Donetsk, Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy, Vinnytsia, and Sumy. The Ukrainian military also reported two drones returning to Russia, while two others were lost within the country.
Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that drone debris fell onto a municipal company’s grounds in the Obolonskyi district. Fortunately, no fires were reported, and emergency services were dispatched to the scene.
Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, noted that fragments were also found on the city-region border. There have been no reports of casualties or damage.
"In the suburbs of Kyiv, air defense was active. Debris fell on the boundary of the city and the region, outside residential areas. There were no injuries or damage reported," Popko added.
Odesa Regional State Administration Chairman Oleh Kiper reported that the Odesa and Izmail districts were attacked.
"In the outskirts of Odesa, three structures were destroyed, and a house and garage were damaged due to falling drone debris. Thankfully, there were no casualties," Kiper stated.
In the Odesa district, rooftop fires would break out due to drone debris falling on residential properties. Homeowners managed to extinguish the fires themselves.
Another location saw a car and warehouse catch fire due to the attack, but there were no casualties reported.
In Izmail, broken walls, windows, and doors were noted, but no one was harmed.
Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration Chairman Serhiy Lysak reported that 3 Shaheds were destroyed by air defense units overnight.
"Our 'East' air defense fighters successfully hit enemy targets," he said.
In Cherkasy, Regional State Administration Chairman Ihor Taburets stated that eight Russian drones were destroyed, with no reports of casualties.
"Our defenders turned nine enemy drones into scrap metal during the last alerts," Taburets remarked.
On the night of September 13, Russian forces launched nearly 30 Shahed combat drones at four Ukrainian regions, with 24 being intercepted.
The overall trend indicates an intensified focus on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Russia is now targeting Thermal Power Plants due to their expensive and slow recovery rates, shifting from earlier strikes on transformer substations.