Russia launched 310 attack drones at Ukraine overnight into Wednesday, 4 November, and Ukraine's air force said air defences shot down or jammed 272 of them. There were hits at 19 locations, and debris from downed drones fell on 15 others. The deadliest known strike was in Komyshuvakha, in Zaporizhzhia region, where rescuers have pulled 31 bodies from the rubble since the attack on 2 November.
Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia region
Regional governor Ivan Fedorov said rescuers have recovered 31 bodies and identified 12 of the dead. Another 59 people are listed as missing, though some of them may be among those already found. Early estimates suggest there may be 38 more people under the rubble.
Russian aircraft hit Komyshuvakha on 2 November in a series of air strikes. Fedorov says a FAB-3000 bomb fell directly on people who had come to collect humanitarian aid. A school used to hand out aid was also hit. Residents who stayed in the village came there every week.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said most of the victims were civilians who had come for aid, along with people who arrived to help them after the first strike.
Details: Russian air strikes on school handing out aid in Komyshuvakha kill 26 (updated)
The overnight attack across Ukraine
The attack involved 310 attack drones, including 81 jet-powered Shaheds, Gerbera drones and Parodiya decoy drones. By 8:00, 272 had been shot down or jammed, 64 of them jet-powered.
More than 20 attack drones were still in the air, and the effort to repel the attack continued. Aircraft, surface-to-air missile units, electronic warfare teams, unmanned-systems crews and mobile fire groups all engaged the drones.
Khmelnytskyi region
A mobile fire group from the Shepetivka air defence missile brigade shot down a jet-powered Shahed over Khmelnytskyi region with a ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun. The drone was about a kilometre from the position, at a height of around 1,300 metres. Gunner Oleksandr locked on to it with a thermal sight, and the crew opened barrage fire.
"We spotted the target, got data on its movement and opened barrage fire. When we finished, we saw a flash in the sky," said Anatoliy, the group's senior member. Western Air Command said the same group also shot down a jet-powered Geran drone in early October. Both times they used a ZU-23-2 despite difficult weather. Anatoliy has served in the army since 2024. Before that he worked in a private food business.
What was shot down in October
The Defence Ministry said today that Ukraine's defences neutralised more than 8,000 Russian drones and missiles in October. They also destroyed more than 43,000 tactical-level unmanned aircraft.
The targets downed included 14 Kh-101 cruise missiles, 11 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, 12 Kalibr missiles, 7 Kh-59/69 guided air missiles, 8 Iskander-K missiles and one Zircon anti-ship missile. Defences also downed 143 S-8000 Banderol drones, 4,455 Shahed-131/136 attack drones, Gerbera drones and Parodiya decoys, 2,688 Shahed-238s, 1,104 reconnaissance drones and 809 Lancets.
During the month, Russian units often changed the routes and heights of their drones and launched them together with decoys. They also fired massed missile salvos. Ballistic missiles, which Russia uses against civilian infrastructure, remain the biggest threat. The ministry said Ukraine's defenders therefore need more means to intercept them.
Russia began a full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022 and has regularly hit cities and civilians since then.
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