On the night of May 17, Ukrainian air defense forces engaged in a battle against a massive attack — the enemy deployed 62 combat drones, aiming to strike strategic targets within the country
According to official information, only 36 of the drones were successfully shot down, while a further 6 were "location lost," meaning their positions are currently unknown or they have gone out of sight of our defense systems. The source of this information — the Air Force of Ukraine — confirmed that the strikes were recorded in almost all regions of the country. The armed forces reported drone interceptions in various parts of the state: in the east, north, south, west, and central regions. This indicates the scale of the attack and possibly reflects the enemy's premeditated tactics to cover as many potential targets as possible. Overall, several key regions were affected by the attacks: Sumy, Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk. The consequences of this nocturnal assault are still being assessed; however, it is already known that there are damages to infrastructure and vital facilities, and the situation remains tense in preventive and defensive sectors. This attack serves as yet another stark reminder that Russia continues its drone raids with the aim of sowing panic and increasing pressure on Ukrainian territory, despite recent diplomatic negotiations in Istanbul. It underscores the complexity of the current situation and the urgent need to strengthen air defense systems and regional resilience to counter new challenges from the aggressor.