Russia Launches 121 Drones and Missile at Ukraine as Strikes Hit Hospital, Fire Station and Homes
Ukraine reports Russia fired 121 drones and a Kh-59 missile overnight, with 96 drones downed or suppressed but impacts still recorded at 11 locations and debris at eight more. Strikes damaged a healthcare facility in Kherson, a fire-rescue unit in Zaporizhzhia, housing in Sloviansk, and warehouses and vehicles in Mykolaiv and near Kyiv.
Ukraine faced another large-scale Russian air attack overnight into 31 August, with drones and a guided missile hitting targets ranging from a hospital and a fire-rescue unit to warehouses and homes across several regions.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 121 drones, most of them Shahed-type one-way attack systems in jet-powered variants, along with a Kh-59 guided air-launched missile. According to the Air Force, Ukrainian defenses shot down or suppressed 96 of the drones, and the Kh-59 did not reach its target. Even so, strikes were recorded at 11 locations, and debris from intercepted drones fell at eight more.
Local authorities in Kherson reported that a Russian drone hit a healthcare facility in the central part of the city on the morning of 31 August, injuring two employees. Hitting a medical site puts doctors and support staff directly in the line of fire while they work.
In Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said a fire-rescue unit came under drone attack during the night in an unnamed settlement. The strike damaged the unit’s building, including its roof, windows and doors, and also affected a fire truck and a passenger car. No casualties were reported there, but the attack underscored that emergency responders themselves are being targeted.
Further east, in Sloviansk, the local military administration said a Russian airstrike destroyed an entrance section of a five-storey residential building and damaged a private house. Four people were injured in the attack, which left part of the apartment block heavily damaged.
In Mykolaiv region, the regional military administration reported that a Russian strike damaged a warehouse, seven trucks and two cars, and wounded one man. In the Kutsurub community, separate hits by FPV (first-person-view) drones damaged two private homes.
The Kyiv region also came under pressure. Air raid alerts were declared in the capital and several surrounding areas over the drone threat. A separate report described another Russian “Geran-4” jet-powered drone strike on a logistics warehouse near the city of Boryspil in Kyiv Oblast on the morning of 31 August, triggering a large fire. The same warehouse complex had already been targeted on 27 August, indicating a repeat focus on that site.
Taken together, the incidents show how Russia’s drone and missile campaign reaches deep into Ukraine’s civilian and emergency infrastructure: hospitals, fire stations, residential buildings, logistics hubs and private homes. Even with a high interception rate, the remaining weapons and falling debris continue to damage sites that provide basic services and response capacity.
Key developments to watch include whether Russia maintains this level of drone use in coming nights, how quickly Ukraine can repair damaged medical and emergency facilities, and whether international partners move to bolster Ukrainian air defenses with more interceptors and short-range systems to protect critical civilian infrastructure.
Sources
- OSINT