Ukraine's forces destroy over 4,700 aerial assets in September

Ukraine's defence forces destroyed more than 4,700 aerial assets used by Russia against Ukraine in September 2026, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. They also downed more than 48,000 tactical-level drones. The figures show the scale of aerial weaponry Russia used during one month of the war.

Missiles

The Air Force's breakdown lists 24 Kh-101 cruise missiles, eight Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, 12 Kalibr cruise missiles, six Kh-59/69 air-launched missiles, six Iskander-K cruise missiles and eight Zircon anti-ship missiles. That makes 64 missiles in these categories. Another 86 S8000 Banderol drone-launched cruise missiles were also destroyed.

Drones

Drones make up most of the total. The defence forces destroyed 2,722 Shahed-131/136 attack drones and 1,935 Shahed-238 drones. They also downed 1,009 reconnaissance drones and 719 Lancet drones.

What is not known

The Air Force did not state the interception rate or the total number of assets Russia launched, so the data does not show what share of attacks was stopped.

Ukrainian aviation activity

The Air Force also reported on its own aircraft for August. Ukrainian planes flew more than 1,600 sorties, around 1,300 of them for fighter cover and more than 250 for strikes and air support for ground troops.