123 Drones: Russia’s Biggest Ukraine Strike Follows Trump-Putin Deal

Russian forces executed their most extensive coordinated Удар беспилотника of the year against Ukrainian cities, deploying a combined force of Shahed drones and Iskander-M ballistic missiles mere hours after former President Trump’s conversation with Vladimir Putin, according to Ukrainian Air Force reports.

123 Shahed and Decoy Drones and Seven Missiles

The attack demonstrated a sophisticated multi-platform approach, combining 123 Shahed and decoy drones with seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles, reports Politico. Ukrainian defense forces mounted a significant response, successfully intercepting six missiles and seventy-one drones, while their electronic warfare capabilities neutralized an additional seventy-one decoy drones.

The strike targeted major urban centers, specifically Kyiv City and Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, revealing a pattern of coordinated attacks against civilian infrastructure. This operation coincided with additional military actions across multiple regions, including artillery strikes on residential buildings in Kherson and ten aerial strikes against front-line communities in Zaporizhzhia.

The deployment of such a large number of decoy drones alongside combat units represents a significant development in Russian tactical approaches. The use of electronic warfare by Ukrainian forces to counter these decoys highlights the growing technological dimension of the conflict, though specific details about these capabilities remain classified.

The timing of this large-scale attack, following immediately after diplomatic engagements between former President Trump and both Russian and Ukrainian leaders, suggests potential strategic messaging. The operation’s scale indicates substantial drone warfare capabilities, though the source and extent of these resources cannot be definitively confirmed from available data.

The incorporation of both missile systems and drone swarms points to an evolution in combined arms tactics. Ukrainian air defense demonstrations suggest continued effectiveness against these hybrid attacks, though the precise methods and systems employed remain undisclosed for security reasons.

This incident occurs against the backdrop of broader diplomatic developments, including discussions of potential peace negotiations. However, the scale and sophistication of this attack raise questions about the relationship between diplomatic initiatives and military operations on the ground.

Future engagements will likely continue to feature this combination of conventional missile systems and Беспилотные технологии, though the exact trajectory of these developments remains to be seen. The successful Ukrainian response demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining robust air defense and electronic warfare capabilities in modern conflict scenarios.

Photos courtesy of X / Zala