Ukraine war latest: Ukraine's air defense downs 97% of Russian kamikaze drones in rare mass daytime strike

War Ukraine war latest: Ukraine's air defense downs 97% of Russian kamikaze drones in rare mass daytime strike March 26, 2026 2:58 am • 7 min read Prefer on Google by The Kyiv Independent news desk Key developments on March 25: Ukraine's air defense downs 97% of Russian kamikaze drones in rare mass daytime strike Russian military icebreaker damaged in unprecedented Baltic Sea drone strike, Ukraine claims Latvia, Estonia say drones that strayed into their territory overnight were Ukrainian Ukraine preparing 'key changes' to mobilization, AWOL policy, defense minister says after meeting infantrymen Ukrainian air defenses downed 97% of the drones launched by Russia in a rare mass daytime strike on March 24, the Air Force reported. Of the 556 drones used in the attack, 541 were shot down or suppressed. "All possible means of air defense were involved in repelling the air attack — manned aviation, anti-aircraft drones, electronic warfare and ground-based air defense," the Air Force said in a post on social media. Become a member – go ad‑free While nighttime mass Russian drone strikes are an almost nightly occurrence, daytime assaults are far less common and are unheard of in the numbers seen on March 24 . Fifteen drones struck cities across the country. In Lviv, at least 32 people were injured after drones struck civilian areas, according to Lviv Oblast Governor Maksym Kozytskyi. Ivano-Frankivsk, another regional capital in western Ukraine, was also targeted with Russian drones, killing two people. Become a member – go ad‑free Explosions were also reported in Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, and Khmelnytskyi. Russia continues to carry out large-scale drone attacks on Ukraine on a near-daily basis, with estimated averages of 150 to 200 drones launched per day. Ukrainian officials previously reported a record strike involving 728 drones and decoys in July 2025. Kyiv has developed extensive expertise in countering Shahed-type attack drones since Russia began using them in 202...