On the night of September 20, Ukraine endured one of Russia’s largest-scale assaults since the start of the war. According to the Air Force Command, Russia launched 579 Shahed kamikaze drones and other UAVs, 32 Kh-101 cruise missiles, and 8 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles.
Ukraine’s air defenses destroyed or suppressed 583 targets: 552 drones, 29 cruise missiles, and 2 ballistic missiles. Despite this, impacts were recorded in 10 locations, with debris from intercepted weapons falling in another 10 sites.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Dnipro and its region, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, as well as communities in Poltava, Kyiv, Odesa, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions came under attack. Russian strikes targeted infrastructure, residential neighborhoods, and civilian enterprises.
In Dnipro, a rocket carrying cluster munitions hit a residential building. Three people were killed, and dozens more were injured.
Zelenskyy thanked Ukraine’s air defenders, including F-16 pilots who effectively intercepted cruise missiles. He stressed that Russia’s strikes are aimed solely at terrorizing civilians and destroying infrastructure, calling for a stronger international response.
“Every restriction on Russia means saved lives,” Zelenskyy emphasized, urging partners to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses, increase weapons supplies, and expand sanctions against Russia’s war machine.