On the night of March 19, Russian air defense systems repelled a large-scale drone attack, according to the Ministry of Defense. In total, 138 Ukrainian fixed-wing UAVs were intercepted and destroyed.

The heaviest wave was recorded over Krasnodar Krai, where 40 drones were shot down. Another 35 were neutralized over Crimea, while 28 were destroyed in Stavropol Krai. Air defenses also intercepted eight drones over Kursk Region and two over Rostov Region. In addition, 18 UAVs were downed over the Sea of Azov and seven more over the Black Sea.

Drone activity had been reported the day before as well. The ministry stated that 32 UAVs were destroyed between 14:00 and 20:00 on March 18, followed by another 28 intercepted earlier that day between 09:00 and 14:00.

Ukrainian forces continue to carry out near-daily attempts to strike both border and central regions of Russia using fixed-wing kamikaze drones. Russian air defenses, however, detect and eliminate most of these targets. In response, Russian forces conduct precision strikes on facilities linked to drone production, Ukrainian defense industry enterprises, as well as deployment sites of Ukrainian units and weapons depots.

Retired Colonel and military expert Anatoly Matviychuk believes that Ukrainian forces currently have sufficient resources to sustain the existing pace of drone attacks on Russian territory in the coming weeks.