‘Huge Number of Ballistic Missiles at the Same Time’ – Kyiv Repels Russian Missile Barrage Targeting the Capital

Early Monday morning, Sept. 2, the Ukrainian capital came under a massive combined attack from Russian cruise and ballistic missiles. According to preliminary information, the assault included Kh-101 missiles launched from seven Tu-95MS bombers, as well as KN-24/Iskander-M ballistic missiles.

In addition to the missile strikes, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) also targeted the city.

“More than a dozen cruise missiles, about a dozen ballistic missiles, and an attack drone were destroyed by air defense forces in the capital’s airspace—a huge number of ballistic missiles at the same time,” Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, reported.

He did not name the exact number but clarified that the air defense forces managed to shoot down more than 20 cruise and ballistic missiles. 

The Ukrainian Air Force later clarified that Russia launched 58 airborne weapons. These included a mix of 35 missiles and 23 combat drones. Among the identified missiles were:

• 16 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, originating from Russia’s Bryansk, Voronezh, and Kursk regions.
• 14 Kh-101 cruise missiles launched from TU-95MS aircraft within the Volgograd region.
• 4 S-300/S-400 anti-aircraft guided missiles from the Belgorod region.
• 1 missile of an unidentified type, also from the Belgorod region.

In addition to the missiles, 23 Shahed attack drones were launched from Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Russia.

In response, Ukrainian defense forces, utilizing anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare systems, and mobile fire groups, successfully intercepted and shot down:

• 9 out of 16 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles.
• 13 out of 14 Kh-101 cruise missiles.
• 20 out of 23 Shahed-131/136 attack drones.

The air raid alarm sounded around 5 a.m., with reports indicating that multiple cruise missiles were already approaching Kyiv from various directions.

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A Kyiv Post correspondent in the Solomianskyi district reported hearing a missile whistle overhead, followed by the explosions of air defense missiles at approximately 5:18 a.m.

The attack lasted until around 5:40 a.m., with dozens of explosions heard in the city on the right bank of the Dnipro.

Preliminary reports indicate that debris fell in the Shevchenkivsky district, where medical teams treated one injured person. In the Svyatoshinsky district, falling debris caused four cars to catch fire and struck a warehouse.

Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, confirmed that a boiler room in the Holosiivsky district was partially destroyed and that glass elements at a metro station entrance in the Svyatoshinsky district were damaged, though the station remains operational. Fires in both the Holosiivsky and Svyatoshinsky districts have been extinguished.

Residents across Kyiv reported finding large and small missile fragments scattered throughout the city. Klitschko also noted that two adults sought medical attention, with one of them being hospitalized.