### Escalating Drone Attacks Strain Ukrainian Civilians and Military

Marharyta Koldanova, standing at a bus stop in Kyiv, was paralyzed by a sudden loud noise. Believing it to be another aerial attack, she quickly readied her tourniquet. The noise, however, turned out to be merely the routine buzz of a local thermal power plant. Though the air raid alarm remained silent, Koldanova's heart pounded with the stress and adrenaline that have become part of daily life for many Ukrainians.

For over two and a half years, Koldanova, like countless others, has lived under the constant threat of Russian drone and missile strikes. The incessant fear has left her, and many fellow Ukrainians, grappling with hypersensitivity to sounds, anxiety, and chronic insomnia. Nightly drone attacks have deprived millions of proper sleep, significantly affecting their daily lives and work performance.

October alone saw over 2,000 drone attacks across Ukraine, with Moscow employing tactics aimed at exhausting and locating the country's air defenses. The widespread use of Iranian-designed Shahed drones, traveling up to 2,500 kilometers, has compounded the mental strain on civilians, destroying critical infrastructure and homes.

Koldanova's nights are often spent in a state of high alert. Living near an air defense site, she hears nearby explosions and sees flashes from her window. Unable to spend even ten minutes reaching a shelter, she hides in her corridor with her dog, continuously anxious about whether the next explosion will hit her home.

Many Ukrainians, like Koldanova, suffer from severe sleep deprivation, which mental health experts say exacerbates anxiety, depression, and PTSD. A reported 70% of business leaders in 2022 marked deteriorating mental health as a primary challenge, a sentiment echoed by a June 2024 survey revealing widespread fatigue and tension among citizens.

Persistent drone attacks have wreaked significant havoc, as evidenced by incidents like the one in Chornomorsk on October 8, where debris caused by a Russian drone fire led to intense residential fires. Though Shahed drones may be slower than missiles, their capacity for destruction remains potent, as shown by the February attack in Kharkiv that destroyed 15 homes and killed seven people.

The continuous barrage of drone strikes has led to the destruction of over 50% of the housing stock in several Ukrainian cities, according to the Kyiv School of Economics. Yet, amidst the devastation, many like Kira Rodkina, whose apartment in Chornomorsk was severely damaged, continue to cling to hope.

On the military front, Dmytro, a commander in Ukraine's 117th Territorial Defense Brigade, leads three mobile air defense squads tasked with shooting down drones in Sumy Oblast. Despite downing 19 drones in three months, compared to seven the previous year, Dmytro's team remains overwhelmed and exhausted. They're in dire need of more personnel and equipment to keep up with the increasing nightly drone barrage that, according to experts, aims to deplete Ukraine’s air defenses ahead of larger-scale missile attacks.

President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that October saw a tenfold increase in Shahed drones compared to the previous autumn. With more than 2,000 drones launched that month alone, the Ukrainian military intercepted 1,185. As Ukrainians prepare for potentially even more severe missile strikes, the relentless work of Dmytro and his team exemplifies the undying commitment of those defending their homeland.