Late in the evening of July 27, Russia launched its strategic aviation, preparing for another missile strike on Ukraine. The aircraft performed a launch maneuver, and around 04:00, enemy aerial targets were detected. Meanwhile, there was a concurrent "Shahed" attack, which did not go without consequences.
Chronology of the Missile Strike
As of 23:50, unofficial monitoring channels reported six Russian missile-carrying aircraft in the sky. Initially, four Tu-95MS aircraft took off from the "Olenya" airfield (Murmansk region, Russia), and two Tu-160 from the "Engels" airfield (Saratov region, Russia).
As of midnight, enemy ships were in their base ports, and had not been deployed at sea.
Based on the experience of previous attacks, monitoring communities predicted that Russian bomber aircraft could theoretically reach the launch zones for Kh-101/555 cruise missiles at:
~ 02:00 – Saratov region;
~ 02:30 – Volgograd region;
~ 03:30 – Caspian Sea.
It should be emphasized that this data cannot be precise and are only approximate calculations. Furthermore, as noted by the Telegram channel "Nikolaevsky Vanek", the situation may change, as initially fewer aircraft were reported.
Around 02:35, reports emerged online that the Tu-95MS aircraft performed a launch maneuver over the territory of the Volgograd region, Russia. Around 03:20, it would be known whether this was an actual missile launch or a simulation.
At 04:00, the first cruise missiles appeared in our skies, entering the airspace via the Chernihiv region.
Social networks warned of an increased threat to Cherkasy and the region. The X-101 missiles flew past; as of 04:13, the first group of cruise missiles was flying towards the Bila Tserkva district of Kyiv region, heading west. Monitoring Telegram channels assumed that the missiles were likely heading to western regions (primarily Khmelnytskyi).
At 04:16, the Ukrainian Air Force announced that the missiles were heading towards Vinnytsia region.
After 04:40, monitoring channels reported that no cruise missiles were detected in the airspace of the country. Reconnaissance continued in the regions. Meanwhile, there were reports of explosions in Khmelnytskyi region. In part of Ukraine, the air raid alert was canceled.
The missile attack was preceded by a drone attack
Starting the evening of July 27, Ukraine was under attack by Russian kamikaze drones and UAV imitators. The first "Shaheds" appeared in the airspace around 18:30 on Sunday, starting their movement from the Chernihiv and Sumy regions.
The occupying forces used multiple launch points, so by about 22:00, "Shaheds" were also flying from the south. At night, monitoring channels reported that most UAVs were heading west.
In the Darnytsya district of Kyiv, as a result of the enemy attack, five people were injured, including a child. Four of the wounded were hospitalized by medics. All of them are residents of a multi-story residential building, where windows from the sixth to the 11th floors were damaged by the blast wave in one of the entrances.
The Kirovohrad Regional Military Administration confirmed that Kropyvnytskyi underwent an enemy drone attack. Details were promised to be provided later.