# Russian drone barrage hits Kyiv, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia as 173 UAVs launched overnight

*Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 6:09 AM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-09-26T06:09:04.131Z (2h ago)
**Category**: conflict | **Region**: Eastern Europe
**Importance**: 9/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/18842.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: Russia launched 173 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force says, with fires, damage and casualties reported in Kyiv, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia even after most of the UAVs were shot down or suppressed.

Russia’s latest overnight drone attack left fires, damage and casualties across Ukraine, even as air defenses brought down or suppressed most of the incoming drones.

Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 173 drones, including more than 50 jet‑powered Shaheds and other unmanned aerial vehicles. According to the Air Force, Ukrainian defenses downed or suppressed 134 of them. Impact sites were recorded at 19 locations, and debris from intercepted drones fell on eight more.

In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported multiple incidents across the city. In the Solomianskyi district, the fall of a drone triggered a fire in a five‑story residential building and a shop on the ground floor. Klitschko said two people were injured there, based on preliminary information. In the same district, a drone fell on an office building, causing another fire.

A separate strike damaged a major supermarket at the Lavina Mall complex in the capital. Klitschko said a drone hit the Auchan store, which will be temporarily closed. In the Darnytskyi district, a fire broke out near warehouse buildings but was extinguished. In Obolonskyi district, debris fell near a residential building, damaging and blowing out windows. Earlier in the night, Kyiv authorities had declared a yellow air‑threat level for drones, indicating heightened risk.

Farther south, regional authorities in Odesa reported a mass attack on civilian infrastructure. They said facades and windows of more than 10 private and multi‑story residential buildings were damaged in the southern part of the region. A hotel‑restaurant complex and administrative buildings on the territory of an enterprise were also hit.

In Zaporizhzhia, local officials said a Russian drone struck a private house. Two women were killed. A four‑year‑old boy and a 45‑year‑old man were injured, and the house where they had been was destroyed.

The Air Force interception figures underline how large‑scale drone attacks can still cause significant harm even when most incoming aircraft are stopped. Each drone that gets through, or sheds debris over a city, can ignite fires in apartment blocks, shops and warehouses and leave emergency services scrambling across several districts at once.

Key indicators to watch in the coming days will be updated casualty and damage reports from Kyiv, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia, and any sign that Russia is increasing the share of jet‑powered Shaheds in its strikes. Ukrainian officials will also be tracking whether partners move to reinforce air‑defense coverage over major cities as the drone campaign continues.