On March 17, the Defense Forces of Ukraine inflicted record losses on the Russian troops for the year 2026 — 1710 occupants were killed or wounded. This was reported by the Ministry of Defense, emphasizing that all enemy casualties were documented on video.
This is reported by Finway
Russians Attempted to Take Advantage of Weather Conditions
According to the department’s data, Russian troops attempted to exploit the dense fog and launched an offensive in several directions, particularly in the Zaporizhzhia region. However, the Ukrainian military was prepared for such actions and repelled the enemy’s attacks, preventing a breach in the combat formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“The Defense Forces were ready for this, so the enemy lost 1710 soldiers killed and wounded in one day,” the report states.
According to the commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert Brovdi, units of the Russian Federation decided to take advantage of the sudden change in weather for a rapid offensive along the front line from Huliaipole to Pokrovsk. In just one and a half days, SBS operators neutralized 900 Russian soldiers over a stretch of 100 km.
Spring-Summer Offensive Campaign and Situation Assessment
Brovdi clarified that under the cover of bad weather, Russian army units began offensive actions on March 17, losing 500–600 personnel, and the following day — over 200 more. According to the commander, this may indicate the beginning of the long-awaited spring-summer offensive campaign by the enemy.
Meanwhile, DeepState analysts note a decrease in the pace of advancement of Russian troops on the front, although in certain directions the enemy continues to advance and attempts to improve its positions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously emphasized that the Ukrainian military managed to halt Russia’s attempt to conduct a large-scale offensive in March. He stressed that attacks continue, but their scale and intensity are significantly lower than what the Russian command had planned.