Ukraine Records 11,000+ Deep Strikes in September, Hits More Russian Air Defenses Than Ever

Ukrainian forces recorded more than 11,000 confirmed strikes against Russian targets located over 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the front line in September, while also hitting a record number of Russian air defense systems, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense reported on October 6.

According to the ministry, September marked the first time the number of confirmed strikes beyond 20 kilometers exceeded 11,000 in a single month. Ukrainian forces also recorded their highest number of strikes against targets located more than 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the front.

The largest concentration of these longer-range strikes occurred along the Russian military logistics route linking temporarily occupied Mariupol with Crimea, the ministry said.

September also saw the highest number of Russian air defense assets hit since the launch of Ukraine’s ePoints battlefield performance program. The targets included radar systems, with one Russian air defense asset struck at a distance of 552 kilometers (343 miles).

In total, Ukrainian units recorded 33,087 confirmed strikes against Russian personnel during September. Only March and April saw higher monthly figures in 2026 under the ePoints program.

The Defense Ministry said all results counted by the program are supported by video recorded in Ukraine’s DELTA battlefield management system and subsequently verified by the Brave1 defense innovation cluster.

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Ukraine also reported increased effectiveness against Russian Shahed-type attack drones. Ukrainian forces downed 28% more Shahed-type UAVs in September than in August, despite Russia changing its aerial attack tactics and deploying a growing number of jet-powered drones.

The ePoints program tracks battlefield results across Ukrainian military units, allowing defense officials to compare the effectiveness of different weapons and tactics and expand successful approaches across the Defense Forces.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces reported hitting or destroying 300 Russian air defense assets in the first 261 days of 2026, including 162 air defense systems, 124 radar complexes, and 14 electronic warfare systems.

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