Russia drops more than 5,300 glide bombs on Ukraine in October, the highest number in one month this year. Ukraine’s military intelligence continues an operation in Pokrovsk, Ukraine’s assault units make gains in the Dobropillya direction. Ukraine’s defense intelligence takes control of the islands within the former Kakhovka Reservoir.
Russia drops more than 5,300 glide bombs on Ukraine in October, highest in one month this year
Russia sharply increased the use of glide bombs in October to target Ukrainian positions, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday. Throughout last month, Russia dropped more than 5,328 glide bombs on Ukrainian troops’ positions and frontline cities, it said.
“That is the largest number of glide bombs dropped in a month since the beginning of 2025,” the ministry said.
In 10 months alone, Russia has lobbed around 40,000 glide bombs, equaling last year’s total, it added.
In October 2025, Russia carried out major drone attacks on Ukraine every day. A similar pattern was recorded between January and March, and between June and September this year. Russia used fewer drones in combined missile and drone attacks on Ukraine than the previous month. At the same time, the efficacy of such strikes has increased, Ukrainian news outlet Novynarnya said on November 1, relying on daily updates issued by the Ukrainian Air Force throughout last month.
Russia used a total of 5,579 missiles, attack and decoy drones against Ukraine in October. It used an average of 180 projectiles a day. This is a decrease from last month’s total of 5,823 missiles and drones, and the daily average of 194 projectiles.
In August, Russia fired a total of 4,288 missiles and drones at Ukraine, with the daily average standing at 138. July’s total was 6,495, and the daily average was 209. June’s total was 5,665, and the daily average was 189.
Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 4,351 of the 5,579 missiles and drones that Russia launched at Ukraine throughout October.
Russia used in October a total of 5,314 drones, including decoys. That’s 324 drones less than in September when it fired 5,638 drones at Ukraine. In August, it launched 4,132 drones against the country. The July figure stood at 6,297, and those of June and May were 5,438 and 4,003 respectively.
In October, Russia used an average of 171 drones in an attack. The figure was 188 in September, 133 in August, 203 in July, 181 in June, 92 in May, 138 in April, 135 in March and 139.5 in February.
Russia has slightly decreased its daily use of drones. The Ukrainian Air Force said in morning updates that a majority of drones Russia used against Ukraine were Shahed attack drones.
Ukraine’s air defenses destroyed or otherwise neutralized a total of 4,240 drones throughout October. The number of destroyed drones was 4,895 in September, 3,445 in August, 5,574 in July, 4,681 in June, 1,852 in May, 1,198 in April, 2,435 in March, 2,209 in February and 1,598 in January.
Last month, Ukraine’s air defenses destroyed an average of 137 drones per an attack, placing the number between 163 in September and 111 in August. The figure was 180 in July, 90 in June, 64 in May, 44.4 in April, 78.5 in March and 79 in February.
In October, drones and missiles hit 1.088 targets in 358 locations (the number excludes the sites affected by falling debris), or 11.5 locations per an attack.
The figures stood at 284 and 9.5 in September, 296 and 9.5 in August, 233 and 7.5 in July, and 254 and 8.5 in June.
The figures show the rising accuracy of Russia’s attacks with Shahed drones, Novynarnya concluded.
Ukraine’s military intelligence continues operation in Pokrovsk, Ukraine’s assault units make gains in Dobropillya direction
The Main Intelligence Department of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry continues an operation in the embattled city of Pokrovsk, in Donetsk region, the agency said on Tuesday. It also released a photo of its chief, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, alongside the statement, pictured while apparently overseeing the operation in what appears to be a field command post.
Tymur’s special unit of Ukraine’s military intelligence continues an operation in one of the city’s neighborhoods which is key to the frontline logistics. Fierce fighting with Russian forces is raging, the message reads.
“Following a successful landing operation to reach the special forces [of Ukraine’s military intelligence — edit.] that took positions on the defined lines, additional forces of the special unit broke through a ground corridor and joined them,” the agency said.
Ukraine’s military intelligence said it is countering Russia’s attempts to make more of Ukrainian supply lines fall within the range of its weapons.
“Other special units of the Main Intelligence Department of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry are performing combat tasks in the sector,” it added.
Russian forces have advanced in Pokrovsk and near three villages — Borivska Andriyivka in Kharkiv region and Karpivka and Kozatske in Donetsk region, Ukrainian open-source mapping project DeepState said on Tuesday.
Ukrainian assault units have advanced in some areas of the Dobropillya direction. They have recaptured 188 square kilometers of land and have cleared another 248.7 square kilometers of Russian sabotage groups, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi said Monday.
“I continue to work in Donetsk region, particularly, in the area of responsibility for the 7th Rapid Response Corps of Ukraine’s air assault troops. Key issues are to secure the supply lines and [oversee] the assault groups that push the adversary out of the built-up area,” Syrskyi said.
Ukrainian troops in the area are being bolstered with additional units, weapons and materiel, including unmanned systems.
Combat work is ongoing to destroy the enemy force, he added.
As of October 30, Ukrainian assault units advanced 200 to 550 meters in the Dobropillya direction, Syrskyi said.
Ukraine’s defense intelligence takes control of islands within former Kakhovka Reservoir
A special unit of the Main Intelligence Department of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry took control of the islands in the gray zone of the former Kakhovka Reservoir, the agency said Tuesday.
The Bratstvo unit that is part of the Tymur’s special unit is behind what Ukraine’s military intelligence referred to as a “successful reconnaissance and sabotage operation.”
As part of an operation around Velyki Kuchuhury that lies seven kilometers off the shoreline, Ukrainian operatives discovered and took out two Russian soldiers, the statement reads.
Service members of the Bratstvo unit took control of the islands and flew a Ukrainian flag over the area, Ukraine’s military intelligence added.