KYIV, Ukraine — Russia launched a record-breaking aerial assault on Ukraine early Wednesday, deploying 728 attack drones and decoy weapons in a single night, Ukrainian officials confirmed.
The massive swarm represents a dramatic escalation in Russia’s drone warfare, outstripping its entire monthly drone usage from last year in just a few hours. The coordinated attacks targeted Ukrainian military infrastructure and aimed to deplete Kyiv’s increasingly strained air defense resources.
“This is the largest drone attack we’ve seen since the beginning of the war,” a Ukrainian military spokesperson said.
Ukraine’s air defenses managed to intercept and destroy most of the drones, minimizing the damage. However, several warehouses in western Ukraine were struck, and minor structural damage was reported. No civilian casualties have been confirmed so far.
The wave of drones came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly criticized Russia for “dragging its feet” on peace negotiations, stating that Washington “gets a lot of bulls— from [President Vladimir] Putin” and urging quicker diplomatic action.
The uptick in Russian drone capability comes amid growing concerns over Moscow’s domestic weapons manufacturing. Defense analysts have noted that Russia has significantly ramped up production of Shahed-style drones, many of which are believed to be reverse-engineered or sourced from Iranian designs.
Photos released by Ukraine’s military showed the wreckage of a Shahed drone shot down earlier this year, alongside images from last month’s missile-and-drone strike on a residential building in Kyiv that left several civilians injured.
As both sides brace for a protracted war, the drone arms race appears to be reshaping the battlefield, with Ukraine increasingly reliant on international support to replenish its interceptors and advanced air defense systems.