Ukrainian air defense shoots down 227 targets as Russia attacks with Zircons, ballistics, and 282 drones
Photo: National Guard of Ukraine
Overnight on September 24, Russia launched a massive attack against Ukraine using Zircon anti-ship missiles, Iskander-M ballistic missiles, and 282 drones of various types. Air defense forces neutralized 227 aerial targets, while strikes were recorded across 13 locations.
The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported the operation, according to Rubryka.
Military officials detailed that overnight on September 24 (starting from 6:00 p.m. on September 23), the enemy attacked with:
- Zircon anti-ship missiles from Russia's Kursk, Rostov, and Orel regions
- Iskander-M/S-400/KN-23 ballistic missiles from Russia's Kursk and Bryansk regions
- 282 attack UAVs, including Shaheds (including jet-powered variants), Gerberas, Banderol/Dan-T loitering munitions, and Parodiya decoy drones launched from Orel, Millerovo, Shatalovo, Kursk, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia, as well as occupied Donetsk, Hvardiiske, and Chauda in occupied Crimea, and the waters of the Sea of Azov.
The primary targets of the strike were the Odesa and Kyiv regions.
The air defense operation involved:
- Aviation
- Anti-aircraft missile units
- Electronic warfare and unmanned systems units
- Mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defense Forces
Preliminary data as of 8:00 a.m. indicates air defense forces shot down or suppressed 227 targets:
- 4 Zircon anti-ship missiles
- 3 Iskander-M/S-400/KN-23 ballistic missiles
- 1 Banderol/Dan-T munition
- 219 enemy UAVs, including Shaheds, Gerberas, and other drone types
Enemy air attack assets struck 13 locations, while falling debris from intercepted targets occurred across 10 locations.
The Air Force added that the attack remains ongoing, with several enemy UAVs still operating in Ukrainian airspace.
"Follow safety rules!" the military emphasized.
Backgroud
On September 24, Russian forces attacked Kyiv with ballistic missiles, triggering a series of explosions in the capital. The Russian attack killed two people and increased the number of injured to eight. Debris falls, fires, and destruction were recorded across several districts, damaging warehouses, administrative and private buildings, and facilities near a maternity hospital:
- In the Solomianskyi district, warehouses were partially destroyed, and fire spread to the basements. Paramedics hospitalized three injured individuals.
- In the Podilskyi district, Russian forces struck near a maternity hospital, causing a fire in the parking area. At another location in the same district, a single-story non-residential building caught fire.
- In the Dniprovskyi district, the attack damaged a three-story administrative building, with one person reported injured. At another address, the strike destroyed a private house, where emergency personnel rescued one person, while two neighboring houses were damaged.
Russian forces also struck Odesa, damaging medical and educational institutions alongside residential buildings. Preliminary reports indicate no casualties, with utility services and operational headquarters working on-site to assist residents.
As Rubryka reported, the Center for Countering Disinformation warned the previous day that Russia was preparing a new ballistic missile strike against Ukraine.
