The drones were launched from Oryol, Millerovo, Kursk, Bryansk, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia, plus Chauda in Crimea.
By 9 a.m., the Air Force confirmed 73 Shaheds and other drones were shot down over Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, and Mykolaiv oblasts. Another 37 decoy drones were lost from radar with no reported harm.
The attack was repelled by fighter jets, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare teams, and mobile fire groups from the Air Force and Defense Forces.
Damage was reported in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Poltava, Cherkasy, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhya oblasts.
Zaporizhzhya Oblast Military Administration head Ivan Fedorov said the aggressor targeted critical infrastructure, warning of possible gas and heat supply cuts.
In Sumy, acting mayor Artem Kobzar reported a Shahed hit set a building ablaze around 10 p.m. on March 8, with no casualties noted yet.
The Sumy Oblast Military Administration said the drone fell in a residential area, and damage details are still being assessed. Public broadcaster Suspilne reported power outages on several Sumy streets.