A Russian drone barrage knocked out power to 380,000 Ukrainians in the Chernihiv region overnight. Moscow launched 219 drones between April 17 and 18. Ukrainian air defenses downed 190. Twenty-eight got through and struck 17 locations. Debris from intercepted drones fell on nine more.
The Strike
More than 150 of the drones were Shahed-type loitering munitions, according to the Ukrainian Air Force Command. They were launched from six Russian cities: Shatalovo, Bryansk, Kursk, Orel, Millerovo and Primorsko-Akhtarsk. Additional launches came from Cape Chauda in Russian-occupied Crimea.
Fighter jets, surface-to-air missile units, electronic warfare systems, drone units and mobile fire groups all took part in the interception.
380,000 Without Power
A major electrical facility in Nizhyn district, Chernihiv region, was damaged. Energy company Chernihivoblenergo said 380,000 consumers lost electricity in the cities of Chernihiv, Pryluky, Nizhyn and Slavutych, plus surrounding districts.
The statement was published on the company’s Telegram channel. No timeline for restoration was given.
Ukraine Strikes Back
Ukrainian drones hit targets deep inside Russia overnight. In Leningrad Oblast, near Saint Petersburg, governor Alexander Drozdenko confirmed a fire at the port of Vysotsk, a facility that exports oil products. The fire was extinguished.
About 1,800 kilometers to the southeast, Samara Oblast governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev confirmed drone strikes on industrial facilities in Syzran and Novokuybyshevsk, cities on the Volga River.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defenses shot down 258 Ukrainian drones overnight across Russian regions and over the Azov and Black Seas.
Russian MoD Briefing
Russia’s Defense Ministry issued its daily briefing. Across all front-line groupings, it claimed Ukrainian losses of up to 1,145 servicemembers, 22 vehicles, 10 artillery pieces, a Grad multiple rocket launcher, two electronic warfare stations, 17 ammunition depots and 12 materiel storage sites. Air defenses shot down 568 drones, nine guided bombs and one HIMARS rocket over the day, the ministry said.
The claims could not be independently verified.
Diplomatic Moves
At the Antalya Diplomatic Forum in Turkey, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said NATO is “not in the best shape” and that Russia does not interfere in the alliance’s internal affairs. He accused Germany and Finland of reviving Nazi philosophy and said Britain has “never been far from such ideas.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, also at the forum, said President Volodymyr Zelensky is ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Zelensky is ready to meet Putin. The question is why he is hiding,” Sybiha said, according to RBC Ukraine.
