During the night of July 21 (starting at 9:00 p.m. on July 20), the Russian forces launched an attack using 450 aerial weapons:
- 426 Shahed-type attack UAVs and various decoy drones from directions including Bryansk, Oryol, Millerovo, Shatalovo, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk (Russia);
- 5 Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles (from the airspace over Tambov region, Russia);
- 4 Kalibr cruise missiles (from the Black Sea);
- 1 Iskander-K cruise missile (launched from the Millerovo area, Russia);
- 14 Kh-101 cruise missiles (from the airspace over Saratov region, Russia).
The aerial attack was countered by aviation, air defense missile forces, electronic warfare (EW) and drone units, and mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
As of 09:30, according to preliminary data, air defense forces shot down or suppressed 224 aerial weapons:
- 200 Shahed-type attack UAVs;
- The vast majority of missiles were shot down by air defense systems, while the rest were suppressed by EW or lost from radar tracking (no confirmed strikes reported).
- 203 decoy drones failed to reach their targets — likely suppressed by electronic warfare.
There were confirmed strikes by 23 attack UAVs in 3 locations, and wreckage from downed drones fell in 12 locations.
