Russian drone attacks against Ukraine increase for third month in row, says MOD

Russian aerial assaults on Ukraine using one-way attack drones have significantly increased for the third month in a row, according to the Ministry of Defence.

The MOD's latest defence intelligence update said 2,000 one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles had been launched by Russia against Ukraine in October.

This represents 700 more attacks than September.

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The MOD said: "With continuing Russian investment in a range of OWA UAVs, diversification of supply and expansion of launch sites, firing rates have been trending consistently upwards since mid-2024.

"Through the first week of November, Russian firing rates remained high and in line with recent weeks."

It is predicted that the high figures seen through September and October will become the norm.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the attacks by Russia as terrorism in a tweet posted on social media following another night of strikes.

He said on X: "All evening and night, terrorists attacked our cities and communities with missiles, drones and guided aerial bombs, targeting the Odesa, Kharkiv and Kyiv regions."