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Russian forces launched 137 attack drones at Ukraine overnight on October 5–6, including 49 jet-powered Shahed drones, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
The attack began at around 6 p.m. on October 5. Russia used Shahed drones, including jet-powered variants, as well as Gerbera drones, Banderol/Dan-T drone missiles and Parodiya decoys. The drones were launched from several locations in Russia, temporarily occupied parts of Donetsk region and Crimea, and the Sea of Azov.
Ukrainian aviation, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces were involved in repelling the attack.
As of 8 a.m., Ukrainian air defenses had shot down or suppressed 114 Shahed, Gerbera and other types of drones, according to preliminary data. Russian aerial weapons struck 17 locations, while debris from downed drones fell at four locations.
The Air Force said the attack was still ongoing in the morning, with several Russian drones remaining in Ukrainian airspace.
The overnight barrage was followed by strikes on infrastructure in several regions. In Zaporizhzhia, a Russian attack on a bridge over the Dnipro River injured five people, including two Red Cross workers, according to Ukrainian authorities.
In Kyiv, debris from a Russian drone fell near a residential building in the Pecherskyi district on October 5, setting two cars on fire and damaging another. No injuries were reported.
Russia has increasingly relied on jet-powered drones, which are faster and more difficult for Ukraine’s existing air-defense systems to intercept. Reuters has reported that Kyiv is accelerating development of domestic interceptor systems to counter the growing threat.
