Russia launches the most massive UAV attack on Kyiv in 2024: air raid alert lasts over seven hours as air defense takes down dozens of enemy drones

On the night of July 31, the Russian forces launched a large-scale attack using drones throughout Ukraine. It was the biggest attack on Kyiv this year, with an air raid alert lasting over seven hours in the capital.

The head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, Serhii Popko, reported this on Telegram.

At 7 a.m., an alarm went off in Kyiv and several surrounding regions, including Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Poltava, Sumy, Kirovohrad, Kharkiv, and Luhansk. The Air Force reported drone activity in the Kyiv, Poltava, and Chernihiv regions.

"The enemy directed dozens of drones at the capital of Ukraine, a peaceful city. This was already the seventh attack on Kyiv by enemy drones in July!

It became the most massive for the capital in 2024 regarding the number of UAVs used. The air alert lasted more than 7 hours. Enemy drones entered Kyiv in waves and from almost all possible directions," the head of the military administration said.

As Popko said, the forces and means of air defense in the sky above Kyiv and on the approaches to the capital destroyed more than three dozen drones.

Based on the operational summary, no casualties or damage were reported in Kyiv at the time. Popko mentioned that the initial data is still being updated.

After the air raid alarm was canceled, a new one was announced after some time.

Later, the leader of the Kyiv City Military Administration announced that in the morning, enemy drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) carried out another round of air strikes. These attacks came in sequential waves from specific directions toward Kyiv. Despite this, none of the drones could hit their intended targets.

Air defense forces took down several more enemy attack drones.

Overall, during these two waves combined, air defense successfully shot down over forty enemy UAVs in the airspace of Kyiv and near the capital.

The Air Force of Ukraine will provide exact figures.

"Under the conditions of such a dense and massive air attack, our forces and means of air defense worked just perfectly!" Popko noted.

The massive attack on Kyiv became another test for the capital's residents. Despite the enemy's efforts, thanks to the professional work of Ukrainian air defense forces, it was possible to avoid casualties and significant destruction.

For reference:

On July 25, the forces and means of air defense eliminated all the attack drones that the Russian invaders launched at Kyiv during the night attack.