Ukraine’s defense has confirmed that it shot down 283 Russian drones and 56 missiles targeting its energy infrastructure in an attack on Thursday, October 16, 2025. In a statement posted on Thursday, October 16, the ministry stated that Russia launched 37 missiles, including 28 “ballistic” ones, and 320 drones at Ukraine overnight.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, radio-technical troops detected and tracked a total of 357 air attack assets, including 37 missiles—28 of them ballistic—and 320 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) of various types.
The attack involved 320 Shahed-type attack UAVs and other Gerbera drones approaching from Kursk, Millerovo, Shatalovo, Oryol, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia, with around 200 of them being Shaheds.
It also included 2 Kh-47M2 “Kinzhal” aeroballistic missiles launched from the Ryazan region.
Ukraine Shoots Down 283 Russian Drones and 56 Missiles
Additionally, 26 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles were fired from Crimea and Russia’s Kursk and Voronezh regions.
The attack was further supported by 2 Iskander-K cruise missiles launched from Crimea and the Rostov region and 7 Kh-59 guided air-launched missiles.
“On the night of October 16, Russia launched a massive air attack targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure,” read the statement in part.
“Ukrainian air defenders shot down: 283 enemy UAVs, 5 Kh-59 guided air-to-surface missiles.”
It added, “Thank you to air defenders for protecting the skies! Ukraine needs more air defense to protect our people from Russian terror.”
The air attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare, and unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
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Zelenskyy Says Putin is Deaf to Everything the World Says
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while reacting to the attack, noted that Russia again targeted energy and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine with over 300 attack drones and 37 missiles.
He said the enemy is using cluster munitions and stressed that pressure is needed on Kremlin head Vladimir Putin, who he described as “deaf to international calls for restraint”.
“Strong decisions are possible, decisions that can help. And this depends on the United States, on Europe, on all partners whose strength directly determines whether the war will be ended,” he said.
“Now there is an important momentum toward peace in the Middle East. In Europe, this is also possible. That is exactly what I will be discussing today and tomorrow in Washington.”
According to him, “the infrastructure of Vinnytsia, Sumy, and Poltava regions was under attack.”
“In the Chernihiv region, Nizhyn was hit – the post office was damaged, and one person was injured. In the Kharkiv region, critical infrastructure, a part of the State Emergency Service, was hit.”
Also Read: Zelenskyy Reveals Russia Has Fired Over 3,100 Drones and 92 Missiles at Ukraine in One Week
Ukraine Strikes Saratov Oil Refinery in Russia
This comes after Ukraine, on the same night of October 16, 2025, struck the Saratov Oil Refinery in the Saratov Region of the Russian Federation, Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO) said.
“The Saratov Refinery is one of the oldest Russian oil refining enterprises, formerly known as the Cracking Plant, and is part of the Rosneft oil company,” the SSO said in a post on social media.
“The volume of oil processing as of 2020 is 7.2 million tons, and in 2023 it is 4.8 million tons. Recall that the SSO struck this facility exactly a month ago, on Sept. 16, 2025.”
The Saratov Oil Refinery is one of the oldest oil refining enterprises in Russia. As of 2023, the volume of oil refining was 4.8 million tons.
It lies roughly 150 km (100 miles) from the border with Kazakhstan and nearly 600 kilometers (370 miles) east of the front line in Ukraine.
Saratov Oblast Governor Roman Busargin announced around 1:00 a.m. local time that the Russian Defense Ministry had received information about a potential drone attack.
Later that night, the Federal Air Transport Agency, also known as Rosaviatsiya, reported the temporary closure of Saratov’s airport.
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