Ukraine Counts 64 of 81 Jet-Powered Shaheds Stopped as Russia Sends 310 Drones at the Grid

Russia's second consecutive night against Ukraine's grid put jet-powered Shaheds at a quarter of the wave, the type Ukraine's interceptors handle worst, while its own interceptor makers still lack turbojet engines at scale.

Russia launched 310 attack drones against Ukraine overnight into Nov. 4, including 81 jet-powered Shaheds, Ukraine's Air Force said. The statement listed no missiles. It followed the Nov. 3 missile-and-drone barrage that grid operator Ukrenergo called one of the largest attacks on the energy system of the war.

The Air Force's preliminary tally counted 272 drones shot down or electronically suppressed by 8 a.m., including 64 jet-powered models and the Gerbera and decoy types flown alongside them. That is 79% of the jet-powered drones. More than 20 attack drones remained airborne. The statement listed impacts at 19 locations and debris at 15. Launches came from seven directions in Russia and occupied Ukrainian territory.

The Air Force figures put jet-powered Shaheds at a quarter of the wave. Ukraine's General Staff recorded a 66% interception rate against those drones in October, compared with 89% against propeller-driven Shaheds. Its monthly figures covered 6,473 Shahed-type drones launched and 4,859 destroyed. One unfinished night cannot establish a trend.

Energy facilities were hit in Volyn, Zhytomyr, Ternopil, Odesa and Kirovohrad oblasts, according to their regional military administrations. Rivne Gov. Oleksandr Koval described attempted strikes on energy infrastructure. Emergency power outages were introduced in several regions, including Kyiv, DTEK disclosed.

Most of Kovel lost electricity after an infrastructure strike, according to Mayor Ihor Chaika. Power had returned to all consumers by morning, Volyn Gov. Roman Romaniuk announced. In Zhytomyr, energy facilities and houses in three districts came under attack, Gov. Vitalii Bunechko stated.

Ukraine is moving toward production runs of electric interceptors and small runs of jet-powered models, Serhii Sternenko, a volunteer and former adviser to Ukraine's defense minister, explained. The latter include the Bars drone missile adapted for interception. Ukraine produces some electric motors domestically, but turbojet engines are more complicated and costlier to build, he added. Electric interceptors accelerate to 550-600 kilometers per hour and hold that peak speed for at least a few minutes, by his estimate. He put mass production of a solution against jet-powered drones at the end of 2026.

US-brokered talks resume Nov. 10-11 in Abu Dhabi, where Kyiv wants a halt to energy strikes as a first step, Kyiv Post noted.

Jet-powered Shaheds were a quarter of this wave. Sternenko's production date is a year out. The Abu Dhabi talks are six days out.