On 18 June, Russia again attacked Ukraine overnight, launching a widespread drone assault that targeted civilian and infrastructure facilities, resulting in deaths, dozens of wounded, and extensive property destruction.

According to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian forces deployed 58 drones in their overnight assault. 

Ukrainian air defense systems successfully intercepted 30 of the incoming drones by 08:30 local time. The Air Force reports that defenders used multiple methods to neutralize the threats: 12 drones were destroyed by conventional fire weapons, while 18 were either locationally lost or suppressed through electronic warfare systems.

The remaining 28 drones reached their targets, with Russian weapons striking nine separate locations across the country’s east, south, and north. The primary targets of the assault were Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, areas that have experienced sustained attacks throughout the war.

Zaporizhzhia postal facility destroyed as 13 Russian drones target civilian infrastructure

Regional military administration head Ivan Fedorov reported that 13 drones specifically targeted Zaporizhzhia during the night assault. The attacks caused widespread damage to civilian infrastructure, with apartment building windows shattered and multiple vehicles destroyed by fire. No one was reported killed or injured.

City council secretary Rehina Kharchenko confirmed that a Nova Poshta postal service branch was completely destroyed in the bombardment.

“Instead of the building – burned structures, broken glass, melted plastic,” Kharchenko described the scene.

The regional emergency services department documented additional damage, reporting that 47 vehicles burned in an open parking area while fires erupted in three industrial buildings spanning a total of 800 square meters. The assessment revealed damage to nine apartment buildings and six non-residential structures from the drone strikes.

Medical personnel wounded in targeted drone strike on Kherson ambulance

Russian forces conducted extensive shelling operations in southern Kherson Oblast throughout 17 June , resulting in two civilian deaths and 34 wounded across the region, according to Kherson Regional Military Administration head Oleksandr Prokudin.

The attacks affected 36 settlements throughout Kherson Oblast, including the regional capital. Russian forces targeted both social infrastructure and residential neighborhoods, damaging 12 private homes along with outbuildings, garages, and private vehicles.

The attacks extended to medical personnel, with Russian forces using a drone to target an ambulance in Kherson’s Korabelny district around midnight. The regional military administration confirmed that both a paramedic and emergency medical technician sustained injuries in the attack, suffering concussions, blast injuries, and closed traumatic brain injuries.

Ukraine’s military intelligence has disclosed technical specifications of Russia’s V2U strike drone, which employs artificial intelligence for autonomous target selection and operates primarily in the Sumy Oblast, according to a report from the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.

The drone’s computational system runs on a Chinese Leetop A203 minicomputer powered by an NVIDIA Jetson Orin high-speed processor assembly, intelligence officials revealed. This configuration enables the aircraft to identify and engage targets without human intervention.

“V2U is equipped with only one GPS module, which likely indicates Russians’ abandonment of satellite navigation due to Ukrainian electronic warfare systems,” the intelligence reported. “Navigation is likely implemented through ‘computer vision’ — the drone compares camera images with pre-loaded terrain photos.”

The aircraft incorporates FPV control capabilities through LTE communication, utilizing a Microdrive Tandem-4GS-OEM-11 modem-router that operates with Ukrainian mobile carrier SIM cards, according to the intelligence assessment.

Ukrainian analysts determined that despite Russian markings, the modem’s components originate from China. The drone’s construction relies predominantly on Chinese-manufactured parts, including the engine, GPS module, servos, solid-state drive, rangefinder, speed controllers, and power elements.

“A Japanese light-sensitive Sony sensor, an electromagnetic relay from Irish company Te Connectivity, and the mentioned American Jetson Orin module are installed,” intelligence officials added.

The disclosure follows Russia’s 29 May deployment of another new weapon system — the Dan-M jet-powered strike drone capable of reaching altitudes up to 9 kilometers. Military communications expert Serhiy Beskrestnov said that Dan-M represents a converted aerial target originally designed for air defense training and testing.

Fishing nets once discarded by Nordic fishermen are now protecting Ukrainian soldiers from drone attacks. YLE reports that old fishing nets from Sweden and Denmark are being installed above trenches and shelter entrances to slow or neutralize falling explosives and disrupt Russian drone operations. The unconventional method has proven useful as drones play an increasingly central role in modern warfare.

According to YLE, as one of the responses to drone threats, Ukraine has begun deploying old Nordic fishing nets to interfere with these airborne threats.

Danish fishing nets, rendered unusable after Brexit barred Danish fishing in UK waters, have been donated to Ukraine in large volumes. YLE notes that a March report indicates that Denmark alone has provided nets worth approximately €2.5 million.

Anti-drone cages appear on Ukrainian Mavic UAVs

Additional significant donations have come from private individuals. Bernard Christensen, a member of a Polish-Ukrainian aid organization, told Sweden’s SVT:

“All kinds of nets are extremely useful. Ukrainians are resourceful and find a use for every net we can get to them.”

The nets are effective in delaying the detonation of aerial explosives and stopping drones before they reach their targets. Also, drone propellers sometimes get entangled in the netting, preventing drones from completing their mission.

Russia also adopting similar methods

Ukraine is not the only one utilizing such unconventional tactics. Russian troops are also deploying fishing nets to cover entire roads and protect logistics routes.