During the night of July 9 (starting at 6:00 p.m. on July 8), Russian forces launched an attack using two Iskander-M ballistic missiles from the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea, along with 94 strike drones, including Shahed loitering munitions (including jet-powered variants), Gerbera, Italmas, and Parodiya decoy drones. The drones were launched from the directions of Bryansk, Millerovo, and Oryol (Russia), Hvardiiske in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and Donetsk in the temporarily occupied territory.
The air assault was repelled by Ukrainian Air Force aviation, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare units, unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
According to preliminary data, as of 8:30 a.m., Ukraine's air defense shot down or suppressed 72 drones, including Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas, and other types of UAVs, over the northern, southern, and eastern regions of the country.
Authorities confirmed direct hits by two ballistic missiles and 19 strike drones at 13 locations, while debris from intercepted aerial targets fell at four additional locations.
