Russia dropped over 51,000 guided bombs since start of war, Ukraine says

View of the damage after a Russian guided bomb hit a supermarket in Kharkiv's Shevchenkivskyi district. (Image: Reuters)

Russia has launched more than 51,000 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine since the start of its full-blown invasion nearly three years ago, the Ukrainian air force said on Thursday.

Guided, or glide, bombs are highly destructive and very hard to intercept. The air-launched weapons are conventional, often Soviet-era ordnance that have been fitted with wings and satellite-aided navigation to extend their range and precision.

They are cheaper than ballistic and cruise missiles that Russia also regularly fires at Ukraine, and more abundant.

Their destructive power means they can ravage even strongly fortified Ukrainian defensive positions, which have been steadily crumbling in parts of the east in recent months.

In 2024 Russia used some 40,000 guided bombs in Ukraine, the air force said in its statement on the Telegram messaging app.

Regions in proximity to the frontlines as well as those bordering Russia are most regularly targeted with these weapons, Ukrainian officials say.

On Wednesday Russia fired two such bombs at a residential area in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, killing at least 13 people and injuring 113 in the deadliest attack so far this year, officials said.

On Thursday a guided bomb strike on residential buildings in the southern city of Kherson injured at least six people.

Ukrainian authorities say the most effective way to counteract guided bombs attacks is to target the warplanes carrying them and the airfields where they are stationed.