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29MAY

Russia fires 850 drones across Ukraine

2 min read
09:05UTC

Russia fired more than 850 drones at 15 Ukrainian regions overnight on 14-15 October, after two days of strikes that killed four people in Kharkiv.

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Key takeaway

Russia sent more than 850 drones at 15 regions in one night.

Russia fired more than 850 drones at 15 Ukrainian regions overnight on 14-15 October, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said⁠1. The Ukrainian Air Force said it stopped 536, with impacts at 31 locations. A drone attack lasting more than ten hours on Kirovohrad region killed three people in its capital, Kropyvnytskyi, and injured six⁠2.

The barrage followed Donald Trump's statement on 11 October that both sides had agreed to halt attacks on energy infrastructure⁠3. Russia's campaign against the lines that move power between Ukraine's regions had already begun before Trump spoke, and nothing in the Kremlin's later comments committed it to stopping.

Smaller attacks came first. From the evening of 12 October Russia used more than a hundred weapons⁠4. In Kharkiv, a strike destroyed a residential building, killing four people and wounding 41. A drone wounded 14 people at an educational institution in Rivne.

On 13 October five Russian ballistic missiles hit civilian infrastructure in Kyiv⁠5. Zelenskyy said partners gave Ukraine no early warning of that strike, without naming a partner. Trump says the United States has not stopped sharing intelligence⁠6. Axios reported on 9 October that US envoys warned Ukraine's delegation in Miami that Washington could restrict its intelligence access over the refinery strikes.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

Russia attacks Ukraine with long-range drones and missiles almost every night. On 14 to 15 October it sent more than 850 drones at once, which is among the biggest raids of the war. Ukraine's air force shot down or jammed about six in ten. Drones hit 31 places, and three people died in Kropyvnytskyi. Two days earlier a Russian strike on a block of flats in Kharkiv killed four people. Ukraine also relies on allies, mainly the United States, to warn it when Russia launches ballistic missiles. President Zelenskyy says no warning came before a strike on Kyiv on 13 October. President Trump says the United States has not stopped sharing intelligence.

Deep Analysis
Root Causes

Ukraine depends on partners, chiefly the United States, for early warning of ballistic launches, which comes from space-based infrared sensors. Ballistic missiles reach Kyiv in minutes, so a warning withheld or delayed turns into impacts with no shelter time.

Each Russian raid that tops the last forces Kyiv to spend missiles and interceptor drones on decoys, and the Air Force's 536 of 850 shows how many still reach a target.

What could happen next?
  • Risk

    If Kyiv loses ballistic-missile warnings for good, civilians in Kyiv lose the minutes they need to reach shelter.

  • Consequence

    Each raid above 800 drones uses up interceptors that Ukraine must then replace from partners.

Sources:PBS NewsHour / AP·PBS NewsHour / AP·PBS NewsHour / AP
Mentions:Russia →Volodymyr Zelenskyy →Kharkiv →Kyiv →Donald Trump →Ukraine →United States →Jeddah →Dmitry Peskov →Axios →Kremlin →Moscow →Miami →Washington →Oval Office →
First Reported In

Update #29 · Trump waives his own 500% Russia tariffs

PBS NewsHour / AP· 17 Oct 2026
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Causes and effects
Caused by
Russian strikes cut Ukraine's grid links
The 850-drone barrage followed Russian strikes on the lines that move power between Ukraine's regions.
Occurred 10 Oct 2026
Read story →
This Event
Russia fires 850 drones across Ukraine
The raid tested Ukraine's interceptor stocks in the same week Zelenskyy said a ballistic strike on Kyiv came without partner warning.
Led to
Kyiv ends energy truce, hits Ryazan refinery
Zelenskyy declared the energy truce over after the 14-15 October barrage.
Occurred 15 Oct 2026
Read story →
Different Perspectives
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Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Editorial standards.