Moscow Launches 171 Daytime Drone Attacks against Ukraine 

Russian cutthroats subjected Ukraine to daytime attacks on November 2, launching 171 attack drones against Ukraine between 0630 and 1900 local time. Ukrainian air defenses shot down or electronically suppressed 139 of them. 

Out of the 171 drones launched, 103 were jet-powered models. Ukrainian air defenses neutralized 78 of these higher-speed jet drones.  

Alongside the UAVs (which included Gerbera decoys and other types), Russia launched 10 S8000 "Banderol" / Dan-T target/missile systems, eight of which were brought down or jammed by air defenses.  

Shift to daytime drone swarms: While Russian long-range drone strikes historically occurred under the cover of night (such as a massive wave of 193 drones launched overnight preceding this strike), this specific wave was a concentrated daytime operation aimed at taxing air defense networks continuously across multiple regions.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and key Ukrainian officials issued strongly worded statements on November 2, focusing on both the intensity of the drone strikes and broader, highly lethal aerial attacks across the country:  

Key Statements & Condemnations

President Zelenskyy:

“Proof That Russia Rejects De-Escalation": Addressing the continuous waves of daytime drone and glide-bomb strikes—including a horrific double-tap attack in Komyshuvakha (Zaporizhzhia region) that struck a school serving as a humanitarian aid shelter—Zelenskyy condemned the strikes as explicit evidence that Moscow has zero interest in peace or de-escalation.  

Urgent Demand for Air Defense Delivery: Zelenskyy emphasized that Russia is actively betting on exhausting Ukraine's skies using complex, high-speed jet-powered drones and ballistic missiles. He called on Western partners to accelerate air defense deliveries, stating that while interceptor decisions (such as Patriot PAC-3 transfers) are being approved, they cannot take years to deploy when civilian infrastructure is being targeted daily.  

Cyber Counter-Response: In an interview with PBS NewsHour, Zelenskyy also revealed that Ukrainian cyber forces retaliated against a concurrent Russian cyberattack on Ukraine's civil defense network (which tried sending fake nuclear/chemical warnings) by hacking Moscow's emergency warning system.  

Ministry of Foreign Affairs & General Staff:

Ukrainian diplomats and military officials denounced the strategic shift toward daytime multi-vector swarms, pointing out that launching 103 high-speed jet drones and decoy targets during daylight hours was explicitly calculated to maximize terror, disrupt civilian life, and exhaust air defense interceptors.  

Officials reiterated calls for international partners to enforce stricter sanctions on supply chains, noting that the jet-powered UAVs and target/missile systems (S8000 "Banderol" / Dan-T) still rely on foreign-made microelectronics.

European and other allies should heed Zelenskyy’s calls for more air defense support for Ukraine. President Trump should also heed Ukrainian insistence to drop his support for Russia.