Another sleepless night for all of Ukraine. Tens of drones entered the Ukrainian airspace. People heard multiple explosions in Kyiv, air defense is working. The air raid alert in Kyiv was announced at around 11 pm, July 30. The activity of Russia’s tactical aviation was observed in the East, with the potential threat of deploying aircraft weapons, the Ukrainian Air Force reported.
On the night of July 31, Russian forces launched one of the most intense drone attacks on Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion overnight.
Russian forces attacked Ukraine with an overall 89 Shahed drones and a Kh-59 guided air missile from the airspace of the occupied Kherson region. Kyiv was the primary target, with multiple waves of drones launched from various directions.
“This is one of the most massive attacks by the ‘Shahed-131/136’ UAVs. The enemy used the same number of ‘Shahed’ on New Year’s Eve, January 1, 2024. As then, today the Ukrainian air defense withstood and repelled a massive attack by enemy drones,” according to Commander of the Air Force of Ukraine, Mykola Oleschuk.
Ukrainian air defense forces successfully intercepted and destroyed over 40 drones in Kyiv’s airspace and surrounding areas. Despite the unprecedented scale of the attack, there were no reported casualties or significant damage within the capital.
During the attack, falling drone debris ignited a fire in a residential building in the Kyiv region. Emergency services responded promptly, extinguishing the blaze and preventing casualties.
The situation in Kherson was more dire. A 68-year-old civilian was killed in a drone attack, while a 73-year-old woman sustained injuries. Additionally, three people were wounded by explosive devices in Oleksandrivka.
The Kyiv Military Administration reported an air alert lasting over seven hours as the city braced for the relentless drone assault. Ukrainian air defense systems successfully repelled the attack.
