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Over 77,000 Russian targets hit, destroyed in March using drones, Ukraine's commander says

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Over 77,000 Russian targets hit, destroyed in March using drones, Ukraine's commander says
A Ukrainian soldier performs a trial with an FPV drone in the region of Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March 19, 2025. (Alfons Cabrera/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Ukrainian soldiers hit and destroyed in March more than 77,000 Russian targets using drones of various types, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on April 7.

The number of targets hit is 10% higher than in February, according to Syrskyi. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify these claims.

Ukraine has pioneered drone technology during Russia's full-scale war, introducing various ground-, air-, and sea-based models for combat and reconnaissance missions.

Syrskyi called boosting the combat capabilities of unmanned systems on the battlefield one of Ukraine's key priorities.

"By increasing the role of drones, we are saving the lives of our defenders," Syrskyi added.

Ukraine is working to scale up domestic production, having the capacity to produce over 5 million first-person-view (FPV) drones per year, Presidential Advisor Oleksandr Kamyshin said.

Kyiv has also developed long-range missile-drone hybrids, including the Palianytsia and Peklo models, which use turbojet engines as cruise missile alternatives. President Volodymyr Zelensky has set a target of producing at least 30,000 long-range drones in 2025.

How the next generation of Ukrainian drone pilots are being trained at UAV schools
Ukraine’s drone wizardry has drawn the attention of militaries around the world. In addition to an ever-growing drone industry, the rise of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has necessitated new education. Since 2022, a crop of drone schools has popped up around Ukraine to train drone pilots to fight…
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Kateryna Denisova

News Editor

Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.

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