Ukraine faced one of the largest combined missile and drone attacks in recent weeks during the night of January 13, beginning at 18:00 on January 12. According to the Air Force, Russian forces launched a barrage of 18 ballistic Iskander-M and S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles from the Kursk, Bryansk, and Voronezh regions of Russia, as well as from occupied Crimea. In addition, seven Iskander-K cruise missiles were fired from the Kursk and Belgorod regions.
The assault was dominated by an unprecedented wave of unmanned aerial vehicles. A total of 293 strike drones—Shahed-type, Geran-type, and others—were launched from multiple locations including Kursk, Oryol, Shatalovo, Millerovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, and Kacha in occupied Crimea. Around 200 of the UAVs were Shaheds.
Ballistic missiles were reported over four regions: Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kyiv. Air raid alerts and explosions were recorded throughout the night.
Ukraine’s air defenses—comprising fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare systems, UAV teams, and mobile fire groups—engaged the attack across the country.
By 09:30, preliminary assessments indicated that defenders had intercepted or suppressed 247 incoming targets. These included two Iskander-M ballistic missiles, five Iskander-K cruise missiles, and 240 Shahed, Geran, and other types of drones across northern, southern, eastern, and central Ukraine.
Despite the scale of the assault, air defense units reported maintaining control over the situation. Missile impacts and drone strikes were documented at 24 separate locations, involving both ballistic weapons and 48 UAVs.
Further details on damage and casualties are expected as assessments continue.
