ABC News: Ukraine overtook Russia in drone attacks for the first time during a full-scale war

In March, Ukraine launched more strike drones than Russia for the first time since the start of the full-scale war in 2022.

ABC News writes about this, having analyzed data from the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Russian Ministry of Defense.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, in March Russia shot down 7 347 Ukrainian drones, a record for the entire time of the Great War. On average, this is 237 drones per day. However, Russian statistics only take into account those Ukrainian drones that, according to them, were destroyed.

At the same time, the Ukrainian Air Force reports that in March the Russians launched 6 462 drones and 138 missiles of various types. Of these, about 90% of the drones (5 833 units) and almost 74% of the missiles (102 units) were intercepted or suppressed. On average, the Ukrainian military repelled more than 208 drones and about 4 missiles daily.

ABC News notes that it cannot independently verify the data released by either Russia or Ukraine. Experts suggest that both sides may be exaggerating the effectiveness of air defenses or the scale of the attacks.

Previously, Russia could launch more drones and missiles, creating a serious threat to Ukraineʼs strategic security, the journalists add. But data for March indicates a gradual shift in the balance in Ukraineʼs favor — Kyivʼs long-term efforts to develop its own strike potential are starting to yield real results.

• In particular, at the end of March, Ukrainian troops attacked Russian oil infrastructure in the Leningrad region four times. The ports of Primorsk, Ust-Luga and the Kirisky oil refinery were under attack. The attacks continued this week. According to monitoring channels, fires continue in Primorsk and Ust-Luga.
• Reuters, citing sources and satellite imagery, reported on April 2 that the port of Primorsk — a key Russian oil export hub on the Baltic Sea — had lost at least 40% of its oil tanks due to Ukrainian drone attacks in recent weeks.

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