Ukraine downs 35 of 39 Russian drones overnight, Air Force says.

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.

Ukrainian air defense shot down 35 of the 39 Shahed-type attack drones launched by Russia overnight on July 21, the Air Force reported. In addition to drones, Russian forces launched three Iskander-M ballistic missiles and two Kh-59/69 cruise missiles. The Air Force said that the Kh-59/69 missiles didn't reach their targets due to Ukraine's "countermeasures." The military didn't specify where Iskander-M missiles hit and the extent of damage as a result.

Overall, air defense was working in 10 Ukrainian oblasts overnight. No casualties have been reported as a result of the attack as of publication time. Russian forces regularly attack civilian areas across Ukraine using drones and missiles, often targeting residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure. Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy grid have intensified in recent months, resulting in the destruction of or severe damage to multiple energy facilities and forcing Ukraine to impose lengthy rolling blackouts.

On the night of July 21, Russian forces launched missiles and drones from three locations, including Russia's Kursk Oblast, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, a town in Krasnodar Krai on the Azov Sea coast, and occupied Crimea, according to the Air Force. All the drones targeting Kyiv were destroyed by the air defense outside the city, according to the Kyiv City Military Administration. "Over the past two weeks, this is at least the fifth real attempt by the enemy to attack the capital with drones," Serhii Popko, the head of the city's military administration, wrote on social media.

At least one missile hit some critical infrastructure in Sumy Oblast this morning, Sumy Oblast Military Administration said. Rescue services were working at the site as of 7:30 a.m. No information about casualties was reported.

Two drones were also shot down over Sumy Oblast, which borders Russia's Kursk Oblast. Drones were also downed over Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, and Mykolaiv oblasts, according to reports by local authorities.

Hard work underway to reopen Kyiv children's hospital hit by Russian missile Just four days after a Russian missile hit Ukraine's leading hospital for children, the floors of Okhmatdyt's main building looked surprisingly spotless.

The dust and shattered glass from the devastating blast that defaced the building were wiped out. Damaged furniture was removed, and the staff we...

Natalia Yermak is a staff writer for the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a fixer-producer and contributing reporter for the New York Times since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion.

Previously, she worked in film production and documentary.Read more