Russia lost more than 1,700 troops this week on Tuesday, suffering its deadliest day of war against Ukraine in a sign that Moscow’s planned offensive has been foiled.
Ukraine’s general staff said it had killed or wounded 1,710 Russian troops on 17 March and destroyed 29 artillery systems as well as 230 vehicles and fuel tankers. The Russian forces have recorded losses between 700 to 900 troops per day on average in recent months, according to the Ukrainian military.
Ukraine said its unmanned systems force, which oversees drone strikes, was responsible for killing or wounding 900 Russian soldiers in a day and a half, after Moscow’s forces attempted to surge forward on the Zaporizhzhia front.
This comes as peace talks between Washington, Moscow and Kyiv are on a “situational pause, for obvious reasons” the Kremlin has said, as war in Iran continues.
Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters: "This is a situational pause, for obvious reasons," in response to a front page story in Izvestia about the halt in talks which suggested the war could push Kyiv towards compromise.
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Zelensky tells EU leaders €90bn is 'critical' for Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelensky has said the European Union loan being halted by Hungary is “critical” for Ukraine and needed to protect lives.
“We value European support in protecting Ukraine from Russian strikes – especially when it comes to air defence and drone production. We should continue using every opportunity to find missiles for Patriot systems. That’s why the PURL program is helpful,” he said on X.
Referring to Hungary, Zelensky said: “We know – not everyone likes the idea of using part of the 90 billion to buy Patriot missiles through PURL if there are no other options. But if there really are no other options, this is necessary to defend against Russian ballistic attacks – it’s about saving lives.”
Hungary PM and Kremlin ally, Viktor Orban, has yet again clashed with Brussels and mainstream EU politicians but had not previously reneged on a deal agreed among EU leaders, diplomats say.
Many EU officials are particularly exasperated by Orban's veto as Hungary secured an opt-out from paying for the costs of the loan, along with the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
War-hit Kyiv faces a ballooning budget deficit and has no alternative financing options if the EU loan remains blocked.
Russia attacks two foreign-flagged ships in Ukraine's Odesa
A Russian drone attack damaged two foreign-flagged commercial vessels in Ukraine's southern Odesa region, Oleh Kiper, the regional governor, said this morning.
Two civilian commercial ships under the flags of Palau and Barbados were moored and loaded with grains, Kiper said. Two people were wounded, and also a grain silo and administrative buildings were hit in the overnight attack, he said.
Why is a pipeline carrying oil to Russia blocking EU's Ukraine loan
At the heart of the hold-up of a loan from the EU to Ukraine is the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian oil through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia. It was damaged by a Russian attack in January, according to Ukrainian and EU officials.
Ukraine says the pipeline will take a further six weeks to repair. Hungary says the pipeline is already functional and accuses Ukraine of withholding the oil supply.
Some leaders voiced hope that Hungary will change its stance after next month's election or after the pipeline is repaired.
But Merz said EU leaders had asked the European Commission, the bloc's executive, to examine whether there were ways to implement the loan without relying on Orban.
Orban said he had faced a "tough debate" at the summit but Hungary had stood its ground. "As long as Zelensky does not lift the oil blockade, they will not receive any money from Brussels," he posted on X.
Speaking to reporters after the summit, Orban said Hungary also wanted guarantees the oil supply would not be interrupted again.
That argument drew the ire of Costa, who said only Russia could ensure the pipeline would not be attacked in future.
"This is not the responsibility of Ukraine. This is not the responsibility of the European Union," he said. "And that's why it's completely unacceptable what Hungary is doing."
EU leaders fail to convince Hungary's Orban to lift block on Ukraine loan
European Union leaders failed to convince Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban on Thursday to lift his blockade on a vital 90-billion-euro ($103 billion) EU loan to Ukraine, officials said.
"They tried. They failed," one European official said of the efforts by other EU leaders to convince Orban at a summit in Brussels.
EU leaders agreed to the loan in December but Orban, who has cordial ties with Russia and has clashed with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, has blocked its implementation, citing a dispute over a war-damaged pipeline.
Orban's stance has angered other EU leaders as Kyiv could run short of money in weeks if it does not receive new funding and his U-turn has called into question the credibility of the European Council, the EU's highest decision-making body.
"It was intense, a lot of pressure on Orban that (EU summit) decisions are respected by all," another European official said after the leaders discussed the Ukraine loan.
A third European official, referring to Orban, said: "Discussion was tough and rough, but Viktor is still not budging." A fourth said: "Everyone is increasingly angry with Orban."
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential discussions between leaders.
Kremlin tightens security for senior military officials following assassinations
Russia's security services are set to bolster protection for senior military figures following a spate of series of assassinations and attempted killings, which Moscow attributes to Ukraine.
The announcement from the head of the FSB security service comes after Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alexeyev, deputy head of the GRU military intelligence, was shot three times in his Moscow apartment building on 6 February.
Ukraine has denied any involvement in the incident.
State media quoted FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov confirming Alexeyev's recovery and stating that security for such high-ranking officials would "of course" be tightened.
On Thursday, the Kremlin also condemned what it called an intensification of Ukrainian attacks on Gazprom gas compressor stations serving two major pipelines, saying such incidents threatened critical infrastructure and international energy routes.
Russia tightens security for military figures following assassinations
Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alexeyev was recently shot three times in his apartment buildingArpan Rai20 March 2026 05:25
Kremlin decries Ukrainian drone attacks on energy infrastructure
Russia has said Ukraine’s drone attacks on energy sites in southern Krasnodar region connected to the TurkStream and Blue Stream gas pipelines which carry natural gas to Turkey via the Black Sea will affect the already volatile market.
Gazprom said at least 26 Ukrainian drones targeted three compressor stations between Tuesday and Thursday.
Gazprom said the compressor stations “ensure” the flow of natural gas through the two pipelines, which are the only remaining routes for Russian pipeline gas exports to Europe.
“As global energy markets are feeling unease… such irresponsible and thoughtless actions by the Kyiv regime can further destabilize the situation in the region and the entire world,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Russia loses 1,700 troops in deadliest day of war this year
Russia lost more than 1,700 troops this week on Tuesday, suffering its deadliest day of war against Ukraine, military officials said.
Ukraine’s general staff said it had killed or wounded 1,710 Russian troops on March 17 and destroyed 29 artillery systems as well as 230 vehicles and fuel tankers.
Russia’s average daily losses have been recorded between 700 to 900 troops per day in recent months, in data shared by the Ukrainian military.
The increased death and injured toll among Russian forces could indicate Moscow’s planned spring offensive to capture more territory of Ukraine.
Ukraine said its unmanned systems force, which oversees drone strikes, was responsible for killing or wounding 900 Russian soldiers in a day and a half, after Moscow’s forces attempted to surge forward on the Zaporizhzhia front.
The Russian troops were attempting to move in using infantry, motorcycles and horses under cover of fog before being wiped out, said Robert Brovdi, head of the Ukrainian drone unit “Magyar’s Birds”.
Orban's veto 'act of serious disloyalty', says Germany's Merz
German chancellor Friedrich Merz said the European Commission had been asked by leaders to find ways to pay out the loan, and called Viktor Orban's veto an unprecedented "act of serious disloyalty".
"This will leave its mark," he said. "This is a serious violation of the principle of loyalty of the member states amongst each other, and it damages the standing of the European Union."
EU will find ways to get loan to Ukraine, von der Leyen says
The EU will find ways to pay out the promised €90bn (£77bn) loan to Ukraine despite Hungary's ongoing resistance, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said.
"We will deliver one way or the other," von der Leyen told reporters after a summit in Brussels, where EU leaders failed to convince Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban to lift his blockade on the vital EU loan to Ukraine.
EU leaders condemned the "unacceptable" resistance by Hungary during their meeting, EU Council president Antonio Costa said.
"A deal is a deal, we need to honour our word. And no one can blackmail the European Council," Costa said.
Zelensky says Ukrainian negotiators heading to US for Saturday talks
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukrainian negotiators were headed to the United States for new talks this weekend on a resolution to the four-year-old war pitting Kyiv against Moscow.
"There has been a pause in the talks. It is time to end that and we will do everything so that the talks can be truly meaningful," Zelensky said in his nightly video address.
"The Ukrainian team… is already on the way and we expect a meeting on Saturday in the United States”, he said.
Arpan Rai20 March 2026 03:24NewerOlder