Russia launches 31 drones overnight: 20 destroyed, 11 off target — Ukrainian Air Force

The enemy launched Shahed drones and other UAVs types from Oryol and Millerovo in Russia.

“As of 08:30, 20 Shahed drones and other UAVs had been confirmed destroyed over Kharkiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts,” the statement read.

11 imitation drones lost radar contact without causing any harm due to Ukrainian defense countermeasures, the Air Force added.

Combined attack on Ukraine on Dec. 25

On the night of December 24–25, as the majority of the world celebrated Christmas, Russian forces launched a massive combined assault using missiles of various types, including North Korean ballistic missiles, as well as Shahed drones and drone imitators. Ukrainian defenses detected 184 aerial threats in total, managing to shoot down 59 missiles and 54 drones. An additional 52 drones failed to reach their targets.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that one missile violated Moldovan airspace, flying approximately 140 kilometers through Moldovan and Romanian territory before heading toward Chernivtsi. Moldovan President Maia Sandu confirmed the breach of her nation’s airspace, while Romania’s Defense Ministry denied any aerial targets within their borders.

As a result of the attack, Ukraine’s energy operator Ukrenergo implemented emergency power outages. Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko confirmed significant damage to the national energy grid, with DTEK reporting severe harm to its thermal power stations. Tragically, a 51-year-old power engineer was killed during an assault on one facility.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, stating that the timing of the attack — during Christmas celebrations — was a deliberate and calculated choice.