Russia Fires 164 Drones at Ukraine in Second Night of Attacks as Peace Talks Near

Russia attacked Ukraine with 164 drones and three guided missiles overnight into Sunday, 8 November, the second night in a row of heavy air strikes on the country.

Ukraine’s Air Force said the attack used three Kh-59/69 guided air-to-surface missiles, fired from the waters of the Sea of Azov, and 164 attack drones. Most were Shahed-type aircraft, including 112 jet-powered versions, along with Gerbera and Parodiya decoy drones, launched from western Russia and occupied Crimea and Donetsk.

By 08:00 on Sunday, Ukrainian air defences had shot down or suppressed 137 of the drones, including 88 of the jet-powered ones. The Air Force said several drones were still in the air at that point and fighting was continuing. Hits were recorded at 23 locations, and falling debris from intercepted drones came down at six more.

At least one person was injured. A Russian drone damaged residential buildings in the city of Khmelnytskyi, in western Ukraine. Russian forces had also attacked the southern port city of Odesa late on Saturday evening.

Why it matters

This was the second major overnight attack in two nights. The night before, Russia fired 36 ballistic missiles and 172 drones at Kyiv and the surrounding region, damaging the Northern Bridge across the Dnipro River and hitting power stations that carry electricity from two nuclear plants to the capital. At least two people were killed and around a dozen wounded in that attack.

The strikes are putting Ukraine’s power, water and heating systems under severe strain just as temperatures head towards zero. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant also lost its external power supply on Sunday morning and is running on backup diesel generators.

What happens next

Ukrainian officials will update the casualty and damage figures as the air defence operation ends and emergency crews reach the impact sites. Attention will turn to whether Russia launches a third night of strikes, and to the Abu Dhabi talks, where the United States is pressing both sides towards a ceasefire.

Sources

• UNN: https://unn.ua/en/news/russia-attacked-ukraine-with-164-drones-air-defense-shot-down-137-uavs
• UA.News: https://ua.news/en/war-vs-rf/rosiia-atakuvala-ukrayinu-dronami-ta-aviaraketami-ppo-znishchila-137-bezpilotnikiv
• Kyiv24: https://kyiv24.com/en/russia-attacks-ukraine-with-three/
• Channel News Asia: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/russia-pounds-power-facilities-around-kyiv-damages-major-bridge-6533046

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.