The Russian army recorded almost no territorial gains in March, a first in two and a half years, according to an analysis by AFP of data from the Institute for the Study of War.
Published on 22/04/2026 at 17:02, updated on 22/04/2026 at 17:18, with a reading time of 1 minute.
Le ministre des Affaires étrangères ukrainien, Andriï Sybiga, lors d’une conférence de presse à Kiev, le 31 mars 2026. (TETIANA DZHAFAROVA / AFP)
The situation in Ukraine on the front lines against Russia is at its best in a year, thanks to drones and effective air defense, Ukrainian Foreign Minister said on Tuesday, April 21. The Russian army, which has been invading Ukraine since 2022, recorded almost no territorial gains in March, a first in two and half years, according to AFP’s analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War.
“Our position on the battlefield is (…) the strongest, or most solid, it has been all year,” said the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andriï Sybiga. “We have minimized the Russian advantage in numbers thanks to the use of drones,” he added.
According to him, the Ukrainian army can now shoot down “up to 90%” of Russian drones and missiles targeting Ukrainian cities. Experts attribute recent Russian difficulties on the front to the success of local Ukrainian counter-attacks, Kiev’s superiority in drone technology, and communication problems. In recent months, Russian troops have been cut off from Starlink terminals, which provide satellite internet access, while the Kremlin seeks to completely ban the messaging app Telegram.
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