Photo: Oleksandr Starukh / Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration / Telegram
Ukraine’s air defenses overnight on May 18 intercepted four Iskander-K cruise missiles and 503 drones out of a total of 546 aerial attack weapons launched by Russia, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
The military said Russian forces used:
- 14 Iskander-M / S-400 ballistic missiles;
- 8 Iskander-K cruise missiles;
- 524 attack drones of various types.
The main targets of the attack were Dnipro and the Dnipropetrovsk region, as well as Odesa, Chernihiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions. Several drones attempted to move toward western Ukraine but were intercepted.
According to preliminary data as of 08:30, Ukrainian air defenses destroyed or electronically suppressed four Iskander-K cruise missiles and 503 enemy drones.
However, not all targets were intercepted. Ukrainian authorities confirmed impacts from 18 missiles and 16 attack drones across 34 locations, while debris from downed drones fell in 11 additional areas. Officials noted that the aerial assault was still ongoing.
Regional authorities reported that 18 people were injured in Dnipro, including a two-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy.
Odesa was also targeted, with damage reported and two people injured. In addition, a Russian Shahed drone reportedly struck a Chinese commercial vessel in Ukrainian territorial waters.
In the Chernihiv region, residential buildings and infrastructure were damaged, and casualties were also reported.
