Ukraine Repels Record Russian Air Assault, shooting down almost 500 Drones and Missiles
Ukraine’s air defense forces repelled what officials described as the largest aerial attack of the full-scale war on the night of June 8–9, 2025. According to the Air Force of Ukraine, Russia launched an unprecedented 479 Shahed-type attack drones and 20 missiles, targeting cities and civilian infrastructure across the country.
Ukraine’s multi-layered defense responded with striking efficiency. Of the 479 drones, 277 were destroyed by air defense units. Another 183 were neutralized using electronic warfare systems—jammed or forced off course until they lost control. In parallel, air defense systems intercepted a wide range of missiles:
- 10 Kh-101 cruise missiles
- 4 Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles
- 2 Kh-31P anti-radar missiles
- 1 Kh-35 cruise missile
Two Kh-22 cruise missiles lost their flight paths mid-air.
“The Patriot air defense system worked 100%.”
He confirmed that all four Kinzhal missiles launched by Russia were successfully shot down during the night’s attack.
Despite Ukraine’s successful interception of the vast majority of projectiles, damage from falling debris and a handful of impacts was recorded across the country. Hits were confirmed in ten regions, with debris falling in seventeen locations. Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Rivne, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Cherkasy oblasts all reported damage to homes, infrastructure, or vehicles. In some areas, fires broke out due to falling wreckage. Dozens of civilians were injured, including nine in Sumy and at least seven in Kharkiv.
The air assault appears to have been intended as a saturation strike, overwhelming defenses with volume rather than precision. Yet the results suggest a different outcome:
Russia’s most extensive drone and missile attack to date was largely defeated in the air.
Electronic warfare played a decisive role. The increasing effectiveness of Ukrainian EW units in confusing or disabling Russian drones has become a key component of national defense, allowing the country to intercept or suppress threats even when missile systems are already engaged.
While Russia escalated its aerial pressure, Ukraine responded with its own long-range strikes. Ukrainian forces confirmed operations against key defense-industrial targets deep inside Russian territory, including hits on facilities in Cheboksary and the Savasleyka airfield in Nizhny Novgorod.
