Day 2,896 of Special Military Operation in Ukraine: Russia Strikes 131 Areas, Destroys 368 Drones
MOSCOW — The Russian Defence Ministry has released its progress report on the special military operation as of 22 April 2026. Russian forces continue to advance deep into enemy defence lines in eastern Ukraine, the ministry said.
The Vostok Group of Forces inflicted damage on formations of three mechanised brigades, one air assault brigade, two assault brigades, and five assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) near Alexandrovka, Gavrilovka, Lesnoye, Malomikhaylovka (Dnepropetrovsk region), Barvinovka, Vozdvizhevka, Charivnoye, and Lubitskoye (Zaporozhye region). The AFU lost more than 230 troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, and six motor vehicles in these engagements, the ministry said.
Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades of the AFU near Orekhov, Yurkovka (Zaporozhye region), and Zmiyevka (Kherson region). Up to 30 troops, three pickup trucks, one Grad MLRS combat vehicle, and one electronic warfare station were neutralised, according to the ministry.
Operational-tactical aviation, attack drones, missile troops, and artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces inflicted damage on Ukrainian power, transport, and port infrastructure used in the interests of Ukraine, storage and launch preparation sites for long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 131 areas. Russian air defence systems shot down one guided bomb, three US-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles, and 368 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Black Sea Fleet destroyed one uncrewed surface vehicle in the north-western part of the Black Sea, the ministry said.
The Russian Defence Ministry also released cumulative loss figures for the AFU since the beginning of the special military operation: 671 aircraft, 284 helicopters, 136,720 unmanned aerial vehicles, 656 anti-aircraft missile systems, 29,006 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,705 MLRS combat vehicles, 34,569 field artillery guns and mortars, and 59,940 units of support military vehicles.
The Russian Defence Ministry released this information. Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on 24 February 2022, which has now entered its fourth year. The ongoing conflict has resulted in thousands of casualties and displaced millions. While the international community continues to push for a ceasefire, no concrete agreement has been reached so far.
