Russia attacks Ukraine with drones, ballistic missile threat reported
On the evening of 17 February 2026, Russian forces launched another wave of attacks against Ukraine, using strike drones and ballistic weapons.
The Ukrainian Air Force recorded the movement of groups of UAVs of the “Shahed”, “Gerbera” and “Italmas” types heading towards the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy and Chernihiv regions. Pavlohrad and Kryvyi Rih were among the cities targeted, where warnings were issued about the threat of high-speed targets. In Donetsk region, launches of guided aerial bombs were recorded.
Chernihiv, Poltava, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv regions remain under the threat of ballistic missile strikes.
This evening escalation followed a large-scale aerial assault that had begun overnight and in the early hours of 17 February, when Russia launched more than 400 aerial targets. According to the morning update, Ukrainian air defences shot down 367 drones and 25 missiles. However, following ballistic missile strikes in Odesa, tens of thousands of people were left without heating and water.
The renewed evening drone activity indicates the aggressor’s intention to exhaust Ukraine’s air defence system and continue attacks on civilian infrastructure amid low winter temperatures.
