Russia Launches 193 Drones at Ukraine Overnight as Ceasefire Ends
Russia launched one of its largest overnight drone barrages of the autumn at Ukraine on Sunday night and into Monday morning, sending 193 strike drones across the country hours after a rare local ceasefire expired in the south, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
Ukrainian air defenses shot down or suppressed 154 of the drones as of 8 a.m. local time on Monday, but the remaining aircraft struck 26 locations, and debris from intercepted drones fell at nine others. At least one person was killed and dozens were injured, according to regional officials and Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, with homes, warehouses, energy facilities and transport infrastructure damaged from the Black Sea coast to the northeast.
The barrage came as a six-day humanitarian ceasefire in the Russian-held southern town of Oleshky expired at 9 p.m. GMT on Sunday (4 p.m. Eastern), ending the longest local pause in fighting since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022. Within hours, air raid alerts were sounding across much of Ukraine.
What happened overnight
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched the attack from 6 p.m. local time on Sunday (11 a.m. Eastern), using Shahed-type drones — including faster jet-powered models — alongside Gerbera drones and Parodiya decoys designed to confuse air defenses. Ukrainian forces countered with aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare systems, unmanned units and mobile fire groups.
Of the drones launched, 75 of the Shaheds were jet-powered, according to The New Voice of Ukraine, citing the Air Force. The 154 drones neutralized included 58 jet-powered aircraft. The Air Force warned early Monday that the attack was still ongoing in places, and officials cautioned that casualty and damage figures were preliminary.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Russia had launched 36 ballistic missiles and 1,940 drones over the past week, with power grids in four regions targeted overnight. The scale of the overnight wave underscored how quickly the war’s nightly rhythm resumed once the Oleshky pause ended.
Odesa hit on the Black Sea coast
In the Odesa region, at least five people were injured, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram. In the city of Odesa itself, four people were hurt, according to Serhiy Lysak, head of the city’s military administration. Two residential buildings and a garage were damaged, and the blast wave shattered windows in neighboring homes.
Strikes in the wider region damaged civilian, residential and energy infrastructure, including warehouse and administrative buildings and private homes. A bakery building was destroyed by fire, and an energy facility belonging to DTEK Odesa Grids was hit, the State Emergency Service said. More than 150 rescuers were deployed across the region, and power was restored to some consumers while emergency repair work continued.
Separately on Monday, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its forces had struck a military facility in the Odesa region and hit a cargo vessel it described as being used for military purposes about 36 miles south of the Black Sea port city of Odesa. That claim could not be independently verified.
Kharkiv region bears the heaviest toll
The Kharkiv region suffered the heaviest casualties. Twelve people, including a child, were injured when a drone struck the roof of a five-story residential building in the village of Vashyshcheve on Sunday evening, damaging apartments and floor slabs, the State Emergency Service said. Firefighters rescued two residents trapped in a top-floor apartment, and fires broke out at a nearby private enterprise, damaging greenhouses, hay and a refrigeration unit.
On Monday morning, Russian forces launched a series of airstrikes on the city of Izium using guided aerial bombs between 8:50 and 9:10 a.m. local time (1:50 to 2:10 a.m. Eastern), regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said. One person was killed, and the city’s military administration later said 15 people had sought medical assistance. The strike hit a four-story residential building, set cars on fire and reportedly sparked a fire at a post office branch, while damage to high-voltage power lines left the entire city without electricity.
Elsewhere, a strike on a transport facility in the Kropyvnytskyi district of the Kirovohrad region on Sunday evening triggered a large fire that crews fought under the threat of follow-up strikes; it was brought under control by Monday morning with no casualties reported. In Poltava region, one person was wounded overnight and apartment buildings and vehicles were damaged.
Power and water disrupted
The overnight strikes added fresh strain to Ukraine’s energy system as winter approaches. Ukrenergo, the state grid operator, said emergency power outages had been introduced in some regions because of the difficult situation in the power system, temporarily suspending previously announced outage schedules in affected areas. Energy workers were carrying out repairs, with outages expected to lift once the grid stabilizes.
In Bila Tserkva, in the Kyiv region, the city lost its water supply on Monday morning after a drone attack damaged an infrastructure facility, the local utility Bila Tserkvavoda said. Residents were advised to stock up on water, with no estimate yet for when supplies would be restored. Emergency power cuts also took effect in Kyiv and the surrounding region on Monday morning, according to the local provider.
A ceasefire ends in the south
The barrage followed the expiry of the Oleshky ceasefire, brokered through U.S. first lady Melania Trump and with the involvement of Pope Leo, which was meant to allow aid deliveries and civilian evacuations from the frontline town on the Russian-held east bank of the Dnipro River.
On Monday, Ukraine’s General Staff accused Russian forces of using the pause to strengthen their positions, citing rotations of units, fortification work, expanded anti-drone measures along roads and increased logistics activity, including ammunition deliveries. The Kremlin said it assumed Ukrainian forces had also used the period to regroup, calling that standard practice, and said no similar local ceasefires were planned for now.
A drone strike was also reported in central Kherson city on Monday, with no casualties, while the Kherson regional governor said Russian forces had shelled and attacked 16 settlements in Ukrainian-controlled parts of the region in the 24 hours to 4 a.m. GMT on Monday.
What happens next
Ukrainian officials have warned for weeks that Russia is building toward a sustained winter campaign against the country’s energy grid, a pattern seen in previous winters. The overnight wave — with jet-powered Shaheds making up a large share of the attack — fits that pattern, testing air defenses across multiple regions at once rather than concentrating on a single target.
For residents, the immediate questions are practical: how quickly power and water can be restored, and whether Monday night brings another wave. For Ukraine’s allies, the barrage lands days before the U.S. midterm elections, at a moment when Washington’s attention is fixed inward and diplomats are still debating the next steps toward any broader ceasefire.
NationWire will update this story as Ukrainian officials release fuller casualty and damage assessments.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many drones did Russia launch at Ukraine overnight on Nov. 1-2?
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 193 strike drones from Sunday evening, and that air defenses shot down or suppressed 154 of them as of 8 a.m. local time on Monday.
How many people were killed or injured?
At least one person was killed, in Izium, and dozens were injured, including five in the Odesa region, 12 in Vashyshcheve in the Kharkiv region and one in Poltava region, according to regional officials and the State Emergency Service. Figures were preliminary and may rise.
Why is this attack significant?
It came hours after a six-day local humanitarian ceasefire in Oleshky expired — the longest local pause since Russia’s full-scale invasion began — and it targeted energy infrastructure in several regions as winter approaches.
What did Russia claim about Odesa?
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it struck a military facility in the Odesa region and a cargo vessel at sea that it described as being used for military purposes. The claim could not be independently verified.
Sources and Related Coverage
Reporting for this article drew on the Kyiv Post’s overnight coverage, The New Voice of Ukraine’s Air Force report, Ukrinform’s Odesa reporting, and Reuters’ coverage of the Oleshky ceasefire and its aftermath. Readers can follow those outlets for further updates as assessments are revised.
