Overnight on 29 May 2025, Russia launched a massive drone attack on Ukraine, killing six and injuring 33 civilians and damaging homes, while Ukrainian defenses intercepted just 56 out of 90 incoming drones, according to Ukraine’s Air Force and regional authorities.

90 drones launched from Russia, 56 intercepted

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 90 long-range explosive drones — including Shahed UAVs and decoys — from Millerovo, Oryol, and Kursk starting at 23:20 on 28 May. Air defense units, electronic warfare teams, and mobile fire groups reportedly neutralized 56 drones, of which 10 were shot down and 46 suppressed electronically.

“A distinctive feature of the airstrike was the targeting of sites in frontline territories,” the Air Force noted, highlighting a shift from Russia’s typical focus on rear cities and infrastructure.

Impacts were confirmed in nine locations across Sumy, Kharkiv, and Donetsk oblasts.

Local authorities also reported bomb and artillery strikes, as well as short-range drone attacks.

Sumy Oblast: Civilian casualties and widespread strikes 

Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported that a man was killed and a woman seriously injured in Bilopillia from a drone strike last night.

The authorities reported more civilian casualties over the past 24 hours. In Esman community, a 74-year-old woman died following a Russian guided bomb attack. Earlier injuries were also reported in Khotin (woman born in 1950) and Berezivka (man born in 1991).

Authorities confirmed 140 Russian strikes across 39 settlements in 14 communities, with the heaviest shelling in Sumy and Shostka districts.

Donetsk Oblast: Kostiantynivka hit twice, one killed; another death and 13 injuries yesterday 

At 04:20 on 29 May, a Russian FPV drone strike on Kostiantynivka killed one person and damaged a detached house, the city mayor reported. Another FPV drone hit the same city an hour later, damaging another residence.

On 28 May, Russian attacks killed one civilian in Donetsk’s Rivne and injured 13 others across Donetsk Oblast, according to the regional authorities.

Zaporizhzhia Oblast: Homes destroyed in aerial bombings, civilians searched under the rubble 

Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Ivan Fedorov reported that five Russian guided aerial bombs hit Verkhnia Tersa early on 29 May, destroying several homes. Authorities stated that civilians were trapped under debris, though further details were pending.

Over the preceding day, Russian forces conducted 397 strikes on 10 settlements. A 49-year-old man was wounded in a separate attack in Polohy District yesterday

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast: Three civilians injured in attacks 

According to Governor Serhii Lysak, artillery and drone strikes on Nikopol district injured a 61-year-old man and damaged several homes and solar panels. In Novopavlivka, two civilians were injured by guided bombs; one house was destroyed and two more damaged.

Kherson Oblast: Two killed, multiple injured in drone attacks 

Kherson Oblast Military Administration confirmed two civilian men were killed in Berislav when a Russian drone dropped explosives on them.

A Russian morning strike injured a 1931-born man in Kherson’s Dnipro Raion with blast trauma. A 57-year-old man in Bilozerka and a 38-year-old man in Kherson city were also hospitalized from earlier drone attacks.

Additionally, authorities reported a total of 10 injuries across the oblast in the last 24 hours.

Russia is expanding its missile reserves, increasing drone production, and modifying drone technologies as part of a long-term military strategy to achieve its war objectives in Ukraine, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on 26 May. These developments signal Russia’s full commitment to securing victory through military means in a protracted conflict, according to the think tank.

ISW stated that Russia’s growing stockpile of ballistic missiles, rising drone output, and ongoing drone adaptations demonstrate a sustained effort to strengthen its strike capabilities. The Economist, citing Ukrainian government sources on 25 May, reported that Russia has accumulated around 500 ballistic missiles. At the same time, Moscow is reportedly producing about 100 Shahed explosive drones per day — roughly four to five times the daily output estimated in late 2024.

Ukrainian military intelligence told The Economist that Russia intends to increase this drone production to 500 units per day, although no specific deadline was mentioned. Engineers in Ukraine noted that Russian forces are actively modifying Shahed drones to overcome Ukrainian electronic warfare systems. These upgrades include the use of artificial intelligence and integration with Ukrainian internet and mobile networks for improved navigation.

Following a record 355-drone attack, Russia launches 60 drones—Ukraine intercepts most

New Shahed tactics

A Ukrainian officer interviewed by The Economist stated that Russian drones are flying at altitudes of 2,000 to 2,500 meters, beyond the effective range of small arms and shoulder-fired missiles used by Ukrainian mobile air defense units. On 25 May, Lieutenant Andriy Kovalenko, Head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, reported that Russian forces had set a new altitude record with a Shahed drone flight reaching 4,900 meters.

Colonel Yurii Ihnat, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Air Force, confirmed on 26 May that Russia is producing both Shahed and decoy drones in higher numbers and deploying them at higher altitudes. Ihnat also noted that Russian forces resumed the use of Kh-22 cruise missiles after a period of reduced deployment. According to ISW, the resurgence of large-scale missile and drone strike packages aligns with Russia’s broader strategy of enhancing its domestic weapons production and long-term war preparations.

ISW: Russia ramps up missile strikes and propaganda in bid to crush Ukrainian morale and Western will

Russia’s goals unchanged, but it economy struggles 

Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service Chief Oleh Ivashchenko said in a 26 May Ukrinform interview that Russia’s goal of full control over Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts remains unchanged. He warned that Russia is also preparing for a future conflict with NATO, in line with ISW’s assessments.

“ISW also continues to assess that the Russian government and military are preparing for a possible future conflict with NATO. Russian authorities recently renewed their years-long narrative rejecting the legality of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, likely to set conditions for Russia to deny the independence and sovereignty of other former Soviet states in the future,” the think tank wrote.

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Ivashchenko noted Russia’s economic struggles, with its sovereign wealth fund reduced to $38 billion from $150 billion pre-invasion, and highlighted reliance on Soviet-era equipment. He stated that foreign aid from North Korea, China, and Belarus is playing a growing role in Russia’s defense industry.

“Russia’s efforts to increase domestic drone and missile production and ongoing adaptations of these strike packages are likely part of a broader Russian effort to prepare for a protracted war in Ukraine and possibly a future war with NATO,” ISW wrote.