Russia strikes Kyiv and Kharkiv as data shows Ukraine launched three times more long-range drones

Wave of strikes hits Ukrainian cities

Russian forces launched multiple drone and missile attacks across Ukraine on 26 September, striking civilian areas, educational facilities, and energy infrastructure. In the capital, Kyiv, drone debris caused fires in an office building in the Solomyanskyi district during the night and fell across open grounds in Solomyanskyi and Obolonskyi districts. Later in the evening, another Russian drone raid damaged residential houses and the facade of a five-story apartment building in the Solomyanskyi district, injuring a woman. In Kharkiv, at least two strikes hit the Kyivskyi and Saltivskyi districts, damaging vehicles, hitting a university building, and injuring four people. Across the overnight operations, attacks hit the regions of Kyiv, Odesa, Sumy, and Kharkiv, while damaging a kindergarten in Kyiv, a high school in the surrounding region, and energy installations in Poltava, Mykolaiv, and Vinnytsia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that two people were killed in Zaporizhzhia and 14 others were injured across the country.

If the Russians have decided to make their attacks even more brutal, the world must choose more decisive responses to prevent the war from expanding further.

Ukrainian drone attack on Krasnodar refinery

Ukrainian forces targeted Russian energy infrastructure on 26 September, launching a long-range drone strike against the Ilsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region. Video footage and local accounts showed a large blaze burning inside the refining complex following the impact. Krasnodar Krai governor Veniamin Kondratiev confirmed that drones struck the Seversky district, where the refinery is situated. Kondratiev stated that casualties occurred, one person suffered serious injuries, falling debris damaged a residential building, and fires erupted at two local commercial enterprises. The operation aligns with Ukraine's ongoing focus on striking Russian oil refineries, energy plants, military installations, ammunition storage depots, and logistics centers deep inside Russian territory.

Comparative data across 100 days

An analysis published by the Kyiv Post based on open-source material, official statements, and strike logs examined the aerial campaign between 17 June and 24 September. The study found that Ukraine launched approximately three times more long-range drone strikes against targets inside Russia than Moscow directed at Ukraine over the 100-day timeframe. Ukrainian records indicated that Russia launched about 16,000 drones during this window, with the Kyiv Post estimating the actual number at roughly 16,200. Conversely, the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed its air defenses intercepted or neutralized between 48,000 and 55,000 Ukrainian long-range drones over the same period.

Swarm tactics and payload disparities

The scale of individual drone operations expanded substantially over the summer months. Russian forces exceeded 400 drones in a single operation on at least two occasions and deployed more than 250 drones in five other operations. Russian authorities reported intercepting swarms exceeding 1,000 Ukrainian drones during at least three separate engagements, led by a raid between 19 and 20 August that Moscow claimed involved 1,164 drones. While Ukraine deploys higher quantities of long-range drones, Russia integrates drones with cruise, ballistic, and hypersonic missiles. Russian missile warheads weigh around 450 kilograms, far exceeding the payload capacity of most Ukrainian drones. During a combined attack between 29 and 30 July, Russia deployed 74 missiles alongside 284 drones against Ukrainian targets.