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The night of April 26-27 saw another wave of intense Russian strikes across Ukraine, targeting military infrastructure, troop concentrations, and defense industry sites. The Ukrainian Air Force claimed to have intercepted a significant portion of the incoming drones, but explosions still rocked multiple regions, inflicting damage on key facilities. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces attempted drone attacks on Russian territory, with most being shot down over rear areas like Bryansk and Crimea.
According to the Ukrainian military, Russian forces launched 149 attack drones overnight, with launches reported from Kursk, Bryansk, Orel, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk. The Ukrainian Air Force stated that its air defense units, backed by electronic warfare systems and mobile fire groups, allegedly managed to shoot down 57 Geran-type drones across eastern, northern, southern, and central Ukraine. Another 67 decoy drones were reportedly lost without inflicting any damage. Despite these interceptions, damage was officially confirmed in Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Odessa, Sumy, and Cherkasy regions, as well as in the DPR, indicating that a large number of Russian drones still penetrated Ukrainian defenses.
Russian Strikes Hit Military and Industrial Targets
Russian forces concentrated their attacks on Ukrainian troop deployments, weapons depots, and defense production sites. Over the past day alone Russian drone and missile strikes were recorded in:
- the DPR
- Sumy
- Kharkiv
- Zaporozhie
- Kherson
- Mykolaiv
- Belaya Tserkva, Bucha, Chernobyl in Kiev region
- Dnipro, Sinelnikovo, and Pavlohrad in Dnipropetrovsk region
- Ozernoye in Zhytomyr region
- Uman in Cherkasy region
- Priluki in Chernihiv region
- Chabanka in Odessa region
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In Sumy region, explosions were reported near Loknya, Yunakivka, and Miropolye, where Ukrainian units retreating from the Kursk operation are regrouping. A FAB-3000 glide bomb was filmed destroying a temporary military base in Miropolye:
According to preliminary reports, targets of the night strikes included several Ukrainian military air bases. In the south, Odesa’s military airfield came under drone strikes, and in Zhytomyr region, explosions rocked the Ozernoye airbase, reportedly destroying stored ammunition and fuel.
Fire in Ozernoye
The Dnipropetrovsk region suffered the heaviest barrage, with strikes again targeting Pavlohrad, a large logistics hub of the Ukrainian military, where Russian drones destroyed armored vehicle parking areas, personnel quarters, and weapons storage sites.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian military-industrial facilities came under another attack in Kharkiv, continuing Russia’s campaign to degrade Ukraine’s arms production.
Fire in Kyiv:
The strikes followed a pattern of sustained Russian attacks on Ukrainian military infrastructure. The previous day, a radar production plant in Kyiv (“Burevestnik”) suffered heavy damage, along with a military base in Pavlohrad linked to the Hospitaliers nationalist unit, a group with ties to the extremist Right Sector. Explosions were also reported near Kropyvnytskyi (Kirovohrad), where another industrial site was destroyed despite Ukrainian air defense efforts.
Ukrainian Drone Strikes Thwarted
Amid Russia’s offensive operations, Ukrainian forces attempted retaliatory drone attacks. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported intercepting three UAVs over Bryansk Oblast on the evening of April 26, followed by five more overnight. Ukrainian forces have been increasing activity near the Bryansk border, with reports of troop buildups in Chernihiv and Sumy regions, raising concerns about potential cross-border raids. More Ukrainian drones were shot down over Crimea in the early morning hours.
The latest wave of attacks underscores Russia’s continued focus on degrading Ukraine’s military logistics and industrial capacity. While Ukrainian air defenses claim high interception rates, the sheer volume of strikes ensures destruction of the targets. Meanwhile, Kyiv’s attempts to strike back in the border regions highlight the ongoing risk of border clashes.
