Ukraine says it shot down 33,000 Russian drones in March, a new monthly record

Ukrainian interceptor systems changeable down much than 33,000 Russian drones successful March, a grounds monthly fig since Moscow launched its full-scale penetration successful 2022, Ukraine’s defence curate said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s domestically-developed long-range onslaught drones struck a Russian lipid refinery and terminal connected the Black Sea for the 3rd clip successful little than 2 weeks, prompting the evacuation of section radical arsenic a precautionary measure.

Ukraine has developed cutting-edge and battle-tested drone exertion that has proved indispensable successful holding backmost Russia’s bigger service and has drawn subject involvement from astir the world.

Interceptor drones arsenic portion of a broad aerial defence strategy are present being sought by countries successful the Middle East and Persian Gulf amid the Iran war, according to Ukrainian officials.

Ukraine is scaling up supplies of interceptor drones to thwart Russian aerial attacks and its subject has introduced a caller bid wrong the aerial unit to boost the country’s capabilities, Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said successful a station connected Telegram precocious Monday.

Ukraine's violative capabilities person besides improved, with the Defence Ministry saying connected Tuesday that the country’s forces person much than doubled the scope of their deep-strike capabilities since Russia's February 2022 invasion.

At that time, Ukrainian forces were capable to deed subject targets astir 630 kilometres away, it said. They are present striking targets arsenic acold arsenic astir 1,750 kilometres down force lines, the ministry said successful a statement.

That betterment has allowed Ukraine to deed Russian lipid installations that supply important gross for Moscow's warfare effort. It has besides targeted manufacturing plants that proviso Russia’s equipped forces.

Ukraine struck a Russian lipid refinery astatine the Black Sea larboard of Tuapse for the 3rd clip this period successful a coordinated cognition involving aggregate branches of the country’s defence and information services, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces said connected Tuesday

The 2 strikes earlier this period destroyed 24 lipid retention tanks and damaged 4 others, it said. Independent verification of the claims was not possible.

The Russian Defence Ministry said connected Tuesday its aerial defences intercepted 186 Ukrainian drones overnight implicit Russian regions, the annexed Crimea and the Black and the Azov seas.

Europe whitethorn request Ukraine

With Russia posing a menace to each of Europe, the continent whitethorn request Ukraine much than Ukraine needs Europe, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said connected Tuesday, noting Kyiv's ample and progressively modern military.

"Instead of america reasoning that Ukraine needs Europe, possibly we should deliberation that we successful Europe request Ukraine more," Stubb told reporters astatine a associated property league with his Estonian counterpart Alar Karis.

"It is the largest, astir businesslike and astir modern subject successful Europe."

Europe has ramped up its antiaircraft capabilities successful the look of the penetration and Moscow's "hybrid" attacks connected European countries, including drone overflights, alleged sabotage and misinformation.

Both Stubb and Karis expressed enactment for Kyiv's tendency to articulation some the European Union and NATO.

"We request to earnestly commencement to deliberation however overmuch Europe really needs Ukraine, whether it's EU rank or, arsenic a substance of fact, NATO membership," Stubb said.

European leaders broadly backmost Ukraine's EU rank aspirations but determination is small appetite to fast-track Kyiv to afloat membership, contempt urgent appeals from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Kyiv officially obtained EU campaigner state presumption successful December 2023.

Stubb meantime argued that the tide was turning successful Ukraine's favour successful the warfare with Russia.

"If you look astatine the past 4 months, Ukraine is really doing overmuch amended than Russia," helium said.

"We person seen the figures of some dormant and wounded soldiers summation to 30,000 to 35,000 per period connected the Russian broadside astatine a deed ratio of 1 Ukrainian to 5 Russians," Stubb added.

"On apical of that, Ukraine present has the capableness to motorboat much missiles and drones into Russia than vice versa. The gait astatine which Russia is advancing is really minimal, astatine a outgo of astir 250 dormant per quadrate kilometre."

Additional sources • AP, AFP