Russia continues to amass large numbers of strike drones for coordinated attacks on Ukraine, with recent assaults involving hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles at once, Ukrainian defense news portal Defense Express reports.

Such large-scale attacks strain Ukraine’s air defenses. Even though many drones are intercepted, those that get through still inflict damage and cause civilian casualties.

Over the night of 6-7 September, Ukraine faced the largest drone attack of the full-scale war. Russian forces launched 810 Shahed attack drones, alongside multiple decoy and imitation UAVs. The assault also included nine Iskander-K cruise missiles and four Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles.

Ukraine’s defenses intercepted 747 drones and four cruise missiles. Despite this, nine missiles and 54 strike drones hit 33 locations across the country, with debris recorded at eight additional sites.

This strike follows a string of large-scale attacks. On 2-3 September, Russian forces launched 502 drones; on 29-30 August, 537; and on 27-28 August, 598.

In July and August, raids consistently involved over 500 drones, a sharp increase from previous periods when Russia typically deployed a few hundred.

Earlier in August and July, the aerial assaults consistently involved over 500 drones, a significant increase from prior periods when Russia typically launched no more than a few hundred.

Defense Express notes it is unclear whether these waves reflect higher production or a deliberate tactic to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses with concentrated “salvo” attacks. The mix of Shaheds versus decoy and imitation drones also remains unknown.

According to Ukrainian military intelligence, Russia’s defense industry currently produces roughly 2,700 Shahed drones per month, allowing Moscow to sustain repeated large-scale strikes.