Russia’s airborne terror: how many missiles and drones have hit Ukraine
Missiles, drones, and guided bombs have become a daily threat to Ukrainian cities since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Russia systematically targets residential neighborhoods, hospitals, schools, and markets—places with no military value. Official figures alone show that thousands have been killed and tens of thousands wounded. Frontliner has analyzed the scale of these strikes and their impact on civilians.
Since February 2022, Russia has waged an unprecedented campaign of bombardment against Ukrainian towns and villages. In that time, the aggressor has launched more than 9,600 missiles of various types and nearly 14,000 attack drones (kamikaze UAVs) at Ukrainian territory. In addition, Russian aircraft have dropped over 33,000 guided bombs on Ukrainian cities. These strikes target residential areas, infrastructure, and civilians on a daily basis. According to Ukraine’s military command, of the more than 9,600 missiles launched, almost 5,200 were deliberately aimed at civilian targets—residential buildings, hospitals, schools, power plants, and other non-military infrastructure.
Civilian Losses and Destruction
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, over 13,000 civilians have been killed and more than 34,000 wounded in Ukraine. These figures include all types of armed violence by Russian troops—from air strikes and missile attacks to artillery and mortar shelling, landmines, and abuses during the occupation.
However, missile, drone, and air-dropped bomb attacks have caused the largest share of the civilian population, both in terms of the number of victims and the scale of destruction. UN data shows that in 2025 alone, air attacks killed at least 1,000 civilians and wounded more than 5,000.
These figures are confirmed by both international organizations and Ukrainian authorities. Yet the true toll of dead and wounded as a result of rocket and drone attacks is likely higher, as it is impossible to fully verify losses in occupied territories or areas without reliable access in the early years of the war. The numbers given here are therefore minimum confirmed casualties; the actual number of victims may be significantly higher.
Some of the deadliest incidents were caused by missile and drone strikes—Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Uman, Kramatorsk, Kostyantynivka, Mariupol. These attacks destroyed apartment buildings, shopping malls, train stations, markets, and hospitals. They were not accidental collateral damage, but deliberate strikes on civilians—a grim hallmark of Russia’s aggression.
Ukraine’s Response to Airborne Terror
The thousands of missiles and drones launched by Russia were meant to break Ukrainian resistance, spread fear, and plunge the country into chaos. They failed. Ukrainians continue to fight, and the world has witnessed the scale of Russia’s crimes.
In response to these mass attacks, Ukraine has built a multi-layered air defense system, greatly strengthened by international aid. While no air defense can guarantee 100% protection, Ukrainian forces have already intercepted thousands of incoming threats, saving countless lives.
According to the official data of Ukraine’s Defense Forces, since the invasion began, air defenses have destroyed at least 2,400 Russian missiles and 9,200 drones of various types.
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Created with the support of the Association of Independent Regional Publishers of Ukraine and Amediastiftelsen as part of the Regional Media Support Hub project. The authors’ views do not necessarily coincide with the official position of the partners.
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