'Break the enemy's backbone': Military Chief highlights dramatic battlefield gains
Illustrative photo: Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi (t.me_landforcesofukraine)
In March, the total personnel losses of the Russian army inflicted by Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces increased by 29%, according to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
According to him, Ukraine’s Defense Forces maintain the strategic initiative and are preventing Russian troops from resuming a large-scale offensive.
One of the key factors behind Ukraine’s advantage is its unmanned systems forces. These units are currently delivering the most massive and effective strikes against the enemy.
“For four consecutive months, starting from December 2025, our unmanned systems units have been neutralizing more enemy personnel than Russia is recruiting into its ranks,” Syrskyi said.
Thus, in March compared to February, the total personnel losses inflicted on the enemy by Ukrainian unmanned systems units increased by 29%.
According to the commander-in-chief, on average, unmanned units now carry out more than 11,000 combat missions per day.
At the same time, in March, the number of verified targets hit increased by 50% compared to February — exceeding 150,000.
Syrskyi also highlighted the growing effectiveness of Ukraine’s Middle Strike capabilities:
Nearly 350 strikes were carried out at operational depth (30–120 km).
A total of 143 enemy logistics facilities and depots were hit, along with 52 Russian command posts, 20 oil and energy infrastructure sites, and many other targets.
In addition, the suppression of enemy drone operator positions in March increased by 26% compared to February.
“This is a combined result of the work of domestic UAV manufacturers, improved operator skills, and organizational decisions we have made,” Syrskyi emphasized.
According to him, Ukrainian ground robotic systems also increased the number of completed missions by more than 50% in March compared to February.
At the same time, Russia is also advancing. According to intelligence data, as of early April, Russian forces have expanded their unmanned systems troops to 101,000 personnel and plan to increase this number to 165,500 by the end of 2026.
Meanwhile, the development of unmanned systems units continues across various branches of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
“Following the meeting, I set tasks for further development of our unmanned systems. We continue to break the enemy’s backbone while preserving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers,” Syrskyi stressed.
Situation on the frontline and enemy losses
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russia is trying to intensify assault operations on the frontline but is only suffering greater losses. In addition, Russian forces have missed their own deadlines in three regions.
In March alone, the Russian army lost more than 35,000 soldiers. A significant portion of these losses was inflicted using drones.
It is also worth noting that the current ratio of strike drone usage between Ukrainian and Russian forces stands at 1.3 to 1 in Ukraine’s favor.
