Ukraine said it was attacked by Russia with more than 5,300 guided bombs in October, the highest level in a month since the beginning of the year.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense announced on November 4 that the Russian army had stepped up attacks on the country’s territory with glide bombs in October, with more than 5,328 shells dropped on military positions and cities near the front line.
“This is the highest number of guided bombs dropped in a month since the beginning of 2025,” the announcement said.
This agency said that within the first 10 months of the year, Russia dropped approximately 40,000 glide bombs on Ukrainian territory, nearly equal to the amount Moscow used in the whole of 2024.
The Ukrainian Air Force Command said on the same day that Russia had attacked the country with an Iskander-M ballistic missile, 6 converted S-300 air defense missiles and 130 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of all types. Ukrainian air defense intercepted or jammed 92 aircraft and missiles and 31 aircraft hit 14 locations.
Russia repeatedly dropped glide bombs at a location believed to be the gathering point of Ukrainian forces in Donetsk province in a video posted on November 3. Video: Russian Defense Ministry
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not commented on the information.
Glider bombs usually have a shorter range than missiles, but are easier to produce and can be dropped from locations inside Russian territory or areas controlled by Moscow, beyond the interception range of Ukrainian air defenses.
Experts say this type of bullet is also very difficult to shoot down because it is made of thick steel and has the ability to reach targets at very fast speeds and from high altitudes, unlike cruise missiles or UAVs. Russia has also recently improved glide bombs to increase their flight range, thereby attacking targets far away from the front line.
Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of the General Directorate of Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, said on October 20 that Russia had upgraded the Unified Navigation and Lift Module (UMPK) and installed a jet engine to increase the flight range of the glide bomb to about 200 km. According to him, this weapon was tested in combat in September-October and has entered the mass production process.
For comparison, Ukraine’s Patriot air defense complexes can hit targets at a maximum distance of 160 km with older PAC-2 bullets, while the most modern PAC-3 MSE version has improved accuracy but the range is reduced to 120 km.
Many areas of Ukraine are regularly attacked by Russia with guided bombs, including Dnipropetrovsk oblast as well as territories controlled by Kiev in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.