371 drones in one night: Russia keeps hitting the grid as outages return

One of the largest drone raids

Overnight into Sunday, 1 November, Russia again launched a large wave of attack drones at Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, as of 07:30 air defence had shot down or jammed 371 enemy drones — Shaheds (47 of them jet-powered), Gerberas and other types. The attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare, drone units and mobile fire groups.

Even so, hits were recorded at 16 locations and debris from downed drones fell at 14 more. At the time of the morning update the attack was still under way, with more than 40 drones in Ukrainian airspace. Explosions were heard overnight in Cherkasy and Kyiv, among other places; the full picture of the damage is still being established, and the Air Force did not name the regions where drones struck.

No let-up during the day

The night wave followed constant daytime strikes. Between 06:30 and 19:30 on Saturday, 31 October, Russia launched 168 attack drones (51 jet-powered) plus S8000 “Banderol” jet drones. Air defence neutralised 122 drones and both Banderols, the Air Force said.

In Kyiv on Saturday evening a drone fell on open ground in the Darnytskyi district, while in Desnianskyi a downed drone set fire to a non-residential area and parked cars near a market entrance; the fire was quickly put out, the city military administration and Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. In Obolon, debris fell on the grounds of a shopping centre and a 12-year-old girl was hurt and treated on site.

In Dnipropetrovsk region Russian forces struck five districts more than 20 times with drones, guided bombs and artillery during the day, injuring 17 people including children, regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said. Pavlohrad was hit hardest, with 10 injured. According to The Kyiv Independent, Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least five people and injured 46 over the day.

Energy: power plants, substations, mines

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Shaheds had hit a combined heat and power plant in Kyiv, four substations were struck in Dnipropetrovsk region in a single night, and a drone hit the CHP plant in Shostka in Sumy region. About 200,000 families in Dnipro and the surrounding region and more than 80,000 in Kyiv region were left without power. Rail infrastructure in Dnipro and Kharkiv and a gas distribution facility were also attacked. During the day DTEK Energy coal mining sites in Dnipropetrovsk region came under fire, injuring three workers.

“The world sees how Russia makes civilian infrastructure a target every day,” Zelensky said, calling for new sanctions and support packages.

Sunday schedules

Ukrenergo said hourly outage schedules would apply in several regions on 1 November for all household consumers, at 1.5 to 2.5 queues, with capacity limits for industry. The reason is the damage from massive strikes on energy facilities. Current schedules are published by regional distribution operators.

A drone over Moldova

There was also a signal for neighbours. On Saturday Moldova’s defence ministry reported an unauthorised drone flight entering from Ukraine’s Odesa region. The army restricted airspace over the north and centre of the country; the drone vanished from radar about half an hour later.

What next

Energy companies warn that the situation can change during the day and that repeated strikes slow repairs. People are advised to follow regional power company updates, keep power banks charged and store water. Regional authorities will publish full details of the night attack once sites have been inspected.