Two "Iskander-M" Missiles Down: How Ukraine's Air Defense Repelled A Massive Russian Strike
- 27.10.2026, 12:10
More than 90% of the drones flying toward Ukrainian cities were shot down.
The Ukrainian Air Force destroyed 257 aerial targets during a massive Russian strike on the night of October 26–27. The main target of the Russian attack was Kyiv. Among the targets destroyed were two ballistic missiles. What were the results of the air defense operations, and what were the consequences of the attack?
The massive Russian attack began at 6:00 p.m. on October 26, and the results of the air defense operations were summarized as of 9:00 a.m. on October 27, according to a statement by the Ukrainian Air Force on its page at Facebook. The report states that “Iskander-M”/S-400, as well as drones of various types—from conventional propeller-driven “Shaheds” to jet-powered ones, including “Gerberas,” “Parodies,” and so on—were launched from seven test ranges.
According to Air Command data, 280 drones of various types were detected over a 15-hour period; the number of missiles was not specified. As a result of air defense operations on the night of October 27, 255 out of 280 drones were shot down or neutralized (91% effectiveness), including 56 out of 69 jet-powered UAVs (81%). According to the Air Force, strikes were carried out against 25 locations: 25 drones of various types were hit, half of which were jet-powered (13 units), while no information was provided regarding the number of missiles.
“The main target of the attack was Kyiv. The air attack was repelled by the Air Force, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defense Forces,” the Air Force statement said.
It should be noted that Kyiv was struck by two waves of Russian ballistic missiles. The first wave occurred around 10:00–11:00 p.m.: a series of explosions rang out across the city, and footage of a strike near the “Lesnaya” metro station was posted on social media. Subsequently, Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that the Russians, among other things, struck the campus of an educational institution: students and an ambulance crew were injured.
The second wave of the attack occurred around 3:00 a.m. on October 27. Klitschko stated that the South Bridge had been struck. According to the city administration, the bridge sustained damage, resulting in the closure of traffic and the suspension of subway service. To ease the situation with travel between the left and right banks of the Dnieper, the Kyiv City State Administration deployed eight additional buses to the routes, but traffic jams formed in front of the operational bridges and on other streets in the capital.