In March 2026, Ukraine's air defense shot down 5,935 UAVs out of 6,600 used by the Russian army to attack Ukraine.
Points of attention
- Ukraine's air defense intercepted 5,935 out of 6,600 Russian drones used in attacks, showcasing a high effectiveness rate of 90.25% in March 2026.
- The successful interception of drones was part of a larger defense strategy to combat the enemy's tactics of attrition, including wave attacks and missile strikes.
Ukraine's air defense shot down almost 6,000 Russian drones in March
Last month, the enemy continued its tactics of attrition of Ukrainian air defenses, attacking in waves, as well as combining missile and drone strikes.
According to daily reports from the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, during the massive attacks in March, a total of about 6,600 targets were detected, compared to 5,300 in February, with which the Russians attacked Ukraine.
Over the past month, 5,935 UAVs and missiles were neutralized, including:
Shahed type drones and others — 6,463 UAV launches were recorded, 5,833 units were intercepted. The efficiency was 90.25%;
cruise and ballistic missiles — 138 missiles were launched, 102 were intercepted. The effectiveness was almost 74%.
The overall interception rate of air targets in March reached 89.9%.
The enemy's highest intensity of attack UAV use was recorded on March 24, when almost 1,000 drones were launched in a day. Despite the record number of weapons, 94.6% of air targets were shot down or landed.
This attack was the largest since the start of the large-scale invasion.
The largest missile attack took place on March 14 — out of 68 missiles launched, the defenders intercepted 58. On the same day, the enemy attacked with 430 drones, and over 400 units were intercepted.
The ministry noted that Ukraine's War Plan provides for the detection of 100% of air threats in real time and the interception of at least 95% of missiles and drones.
Approaching this indicator was made possible by the joint work of aviation, various air defense systems, and electronic warfare (EW). This allows not only to physically destroy targets, but also to “lose their location,” saving the scarce supply of interceptor missiles.
