Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has said new Bayraktar drones have already arrived in Ukraine and are on combat duty.

"Some 147 hours of defense. Events are changing. The Russian invaders are trying to somehow keep the combat capability of their units. But it gets worse and worse. This is evidenced by the repeated surrender of groups of Russian soldiers with officers, as well as refusals to continue the offensive," he said on Facebook.

The minister noted that in Russia the relatives of the prisoners and the dead are beginning to go to protests.

"The total lies of Russian propaganda are shocking. The enemy was afraid of direct contact with the Ukrainian defenders and defenders. They switched to criminal tactics of remote shelling of peaceful cities," he added.

Reznikov said that air and missile strikes from the territory of Russia and Belarus on residential buildings and schools, shelling of maternity hospitals with multiple rocket launch systems are "cowardly behavior of those who have no honor."

"These are not soldiers. They are terrorists, representatives of a terrorist state. This stigma will remain for a long time," he said.

Reznikov also believes that the shelling of Zhytomyr is a response to the successful completion of the 95th brigade's task in the Joint Forces Operation.

"The invaders aimed at the brigade barracks and residential buildings nearby. By attacking the women and children of our soldiers, the Kremlin will not achieve the result it is striving for. Now many of our cities and villages are suffering from Russian terror, but most of all - Kharkiv, Mariupol and Kherson," he said.

Reznikov said that on March 1 he had a long conversation with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and that experienced U.S. military officers were completely delighted with the professionalism of our defenders and the resilience of our people.

"The amount of aid we receive is increasing. The number of countries providing this assistance is increasing. Even those who considered it impossible are joining," he said.

According to Reznikov, new Bayraktar drones had already arrived in Ukraine and were on combat duty. He said there would be new deliveries of Stinger and Javelin rockets.