Russia launches massive combined strike on Ukraine Firing 16 missiles and 63 drones

On the night of October 30, Russia carried out a large-scale combined strike on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure using attack drones and air-, land-, and sea-launched missiles, RBC-Ukraine reported, citing the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

According to the AFU, radio-technical units detected and tracked a total of 705 aerial threats, including 52 missiles — nine of them ballistic — and 653 drones of various types, about 400 of which were Shahed UAVs.

During the overnight attack, the enemy deployed:

• 653 Shahed-type and other strike drones from the directions of Kursk, Millerovo, Orel, Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia, and Chauda in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea;

• 4 Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles from Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region;

• 5 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles from the Rostov region;

• 8 Kalibr cruise missiles;

• 2 Iskander-K cruise missiles;

• 30 Kh-101 cruise missiles from the Saratov region;

• 2 Kh-59/69 guided air-launched missiles from the Black Sea;

• 1 Kh-31P guided air-launched missile from the Black Sea.

By 11:30 a.m., Ukrainian air defence forces had reportedly shot down or neutralised 623 aerial targets, including:

• 592 Shahed, Gerbera and other types of strike drones;

• 7 Kalibr cruise missiles;

• 1 Iskander-K cruise missile;

• 21 Kh-101 cruise missiles;

• 2 Kh-59/69 guided air-launched missiles.

According to preliminary data, there were direct hits from 16 missiles and 63 attack drones across 20 sites in various regions of Ukraine, while downed aerial objects were recorded at 19 other locations.

Additionally, three enemy missiles reportedly went off course, and authorities are clarifying the sites where they fell and the extent of the resulting damage.

By Tamilla Hasanova