Russian Defence Ministry on progress of special military operation as of 17 March 2026
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
As a result of active actions, units of the Sever Group of Forces established control over the settlement of Sopych in Sumy region.
AFU and one territorial defence brigade near Pavlovka, Proletarskoye, Miropolye, Kondratovka, and Kucherovka (Sumy region).
In Kharkov region, units of two mechanised brigades, one airmobile brigade, and one motorised infantry brigade of the AFU have been hit near Verkhnyaya Pisarevka, Izbitskoye, Volchanskiye Khuthora, Veseloye, and Udy (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 270 troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, 13 motor vehicles, one artillery gun, three electronic warfare stations, and one Israeli-made RADA RPS-42 counter-fire radar. Also, two ammunition depots and eight materiel depots were eliminated.
The Zapad Group of Forces improved the situation along the front line. Russian troops inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades of the AFU and one territorial defence brigade near Vasilevka, Novoosinovo, Grushevka, Kovalevka (Kharkov region), Krasny Liman, and Brusovka (Donetsk People’s Republic).
The enemy losses amounted to more than 170 troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, two U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carriers, 25 motor vehicles, and one field artillery gun. Five ammunition depots were destroyed.
As a result of active actions, units of the Yuzhnaya Group of Forces liberated Kaleniki in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
Russian troops hit formations of three mechanised brigades, one motorised infantry brigade, one assault brigade of the AFU and one marine brigade near Konstantinovka, Alekseyevo-Druzhkovka, Shabelkovka, Novoselovka, Aleksandrovka, and Slavyansk (Donetsk People’s Republic).
The enemy lost up to 200 troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, one U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carrier, 10 motor vehicles, and four field artillery guns. Two ammunition depots and six materiel depots were neutralised.
ovopodgorodnoye, and Novopavlovka (Dnepropetrovsk region).
The AFU losses amounted to more than 280 troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, 10 motor vehicles, two field artillery guns, including one U.S.-made 155-mm Paladin self-propelled artillery system, and three electronic warfare stations.
The Vostok Group of Forces continued advancing to the depth of the enemy’s defences. Formations of one mechanised brigade, one air assault brigade, one assault brigade, three assault regiments of the AFU, and one marine brigade have been hit close to Dobropasovo, Prosyanaya, Kolomiytsy (Dnepropetrovsk region), Komsomolskoye, Lyubitskoye, Barvinovka, Vozdvizhevka, and Kopani (Zaporozhye region).
The enemy lost more than 255 troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, 12 motor vehicles, and three field artillery guns, including one 155-mm Bogdana self-propelled artillery system.
Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of one mechanised brigade of the AFU and one territorial defence brigade near Orekhov, Preobrazhenka (Zaporozhye region) and Antonovka (Kherson region).
Up to 65 troops, 12 motor vehicles, one electronic warfare station, and two materiel depots have been neutralised.
Operational-tactical aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops, and artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have inflicted damage on the power and transport infrastructure of Ukraine used in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as temporary deployment points of the Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 149 areas.
Air defence systems shot down seven guided aerial bombs and 421 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation the enemy has lost:
671 aircraft,
284 helicopters,
124,415 unmanned aerial vehicles,
652 anti-aircraft missile systems,
28,305 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles,
1,690 MLRS combat vehicles,
33,898 field artillery guns and mortars,
57,043 units of support military vehicles.