Russia Launched 1,900 Drones and 25 Missiles This Week, Zelensky Says

Russian forces launched more than 1,900 strike drones, 1,700 guided aerial bombs, and 25 missiles of various types against Ukraine over the past week, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sunday, Oct. 4. Writing on Telegram, he reported that over 800 of the unmanned aerial vehicles deployed in the weekly barrage were high-speed, turbojet-powered variants, which travel at higher velocities and altitudes that complicate interception by ground-based mobile air defense units.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The weekly tally followed an overnight bombardment into Sunday morning during which Russian forces launched 135 strike drones across Ukrainian territory, including more than 50 jet-powered models. Incoming munitions targeted regions including Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia, damaging residential buildings, utility networks, and municipal life-support systems, triggering localized power outages across several communities. Zelensky confirmed that overnight drone strikes in the northern city of Sumy struck a commercial pharmaceutical storage depot, killing one person. In Dnipro, a Russian strike hit a communications enterprise, injuring at least six people, while a follow-on drone hit the North Bridge in Kyiv. “It is vital that Ukraine does not stand alone against this terror,” Zelensky stated, emphasizing that international partners must respond to Moscow’s expanding reliance on turbojet loitering munitions. Other Topics of Interest UN: Ukraine Civilian Casualties Surge 55% in 2026 UN Rights Chief Volker Türk reports 15,280 civilian casualties in eight months following glide bombs, drone warfare, and infrastructure strikes intensifying. Capital bridge strikes and transit disruption The Sunday morning strike on Kyiv’s North Bridge marks the second consecutive aerial attack targeting the strategic river crossing within a 24-hour window, compounding logistical strain across the capital. Emergency services and municipal transit engineers were dispatched to the bridge after incoming fire blasted a detonation crater into the road deck. Municipal authorities are assessing the physical destruction to determine whether vehicular crossings between the eastern and western districts of the city must face further transit restrictions. The follow-up attack follows a direct hit on the morning of Saturday, when a Russian turbojet loitering munition struck the North Bridge, tearing up road surface asphalt and severing overhead electrical contact cables that power municipal trolleybuses. Klitschko confirmed that two civilians sustained injuries in Saturday’s bridge strike, with one victim treated at the scene and a second hospitalized. The consecutive hits on the North Bridge follow the complete closure of the South Bridge to vehicular traffic on Friday after repeated drone impacts damaged roadway sections, bridge piers, and structural barriers shielding the Green Line metro crossing. Сounter-drone interceptors The surge in weekly bombardments coincides with high-level bilateral defense consultations in the capital following the unannounced arrival in Kyiv of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Leading a government and industrial delegation that includes German Minister for Economic Affairs Katharina Reiche and 10 defense and energy corporate executives, Merz arrived on Sunday to formally guarantee expedited military deliveries, including 1,000 newly developed interceptor systems designed specifically to defeat high-speed, turbojet-powered Shahed drones. Welcoming the German chancellor’s visit, Zelensky commended Berlin’s consistent defense leadership and confirmed that bilateral teams are preparing joint defense agreements to bolster Ukraine’s and Europe’s layered air defense architectures. “Germany consistently demonstrates leadership in protecting the lives of Ukrainians from Russian strikes,” Zelensky said. “Today we are preparing decisions so that we in Ukraine and throughout Europe have more opportunities to defend ourselves. There will be important agreements between Ukraine and Germany.” Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.