Ukraine marked the 35th anniversary of its independence on August 24 under Russian drone and missile fire, hours before European leaders gathered in Kyiv to announce new defense funding and military support.
Russia launched 72 drones and at least one ballistic missile overnight into Independence Day, according to Ukraine's Air Force. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 48 of the drones, but a missile and roughly two dozen Shahed-type attack drones struck around ten locations across the country.
What happened overnight
The Kyiv Independent, citing regional military administrations, reported at least three people killed: one person in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast; one person in Kherson Oblast, where two others including a child were injured; and a 47-year-old woman in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. A residential building was hit in Chernihiv, injuring at least 20 people, including three children. Zaporizhzhia Oblast reported two more injured amid what officials said were 478 separate strikes across 11 settlements over the day.
Casualty figures for the overnight attack varied across news outlets as the toll was still being confirmed through the day — some early wire reports cited lower national totals before regional breakdowns were published. IF Daily is reporting the detailed, attributed regional figures rather than an unconfirmed running total.
A defiant Independence Day
Despite the attacks, Kyiv held a planned military display for the anniversary, featuring ground robots, naval drones on the Dnipro River and uncrewed aerial vehicles over the capital — technology that has come to define the battlefield since Russia's 2022 invasion.
New Western support announced
The European Union approved €6.1 billion in new funding for Ukraine's air and missile defenses, part of a broader €90 billion loan program. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc was "stepping up to help Ukraine protect its people and defend its skies," while EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said the funding would let Ukraine "procure the missiles and air-defence systems it urgently needs."
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham used his first visit to Ukraine to pledge that the UK would share Anglo-French long-range missile technology, aimed at helping Ukraine build its own version of the Storm Shadow/Scalp cruise missile domestically. The visit coincided with a "Coalition of the Willing" meeting of Western leaders in Kyiv.
What's confirmed, and what's still developing
The Russian strikes, the casualty figures reported by regional Ukrainian authorities, and the EU's €6.1 billion funding announcement are confirmed by multiple, independent, on-record sources. Separately, Ukraine's wider air defense needs for 2026 have been estimated by Kyiv at around $120 billion — a figure from Ukrainian officials that IF Daily has not independently verified against a second source.
This remains a developing situation. IF Daily will update this story as the full scale of the overnight attack becomes clearer and as further Western aid commitments are confirmed.
