Russia dropped almost 50 glide bombs on Sumy region in the past day, Zelenskyi says. Ukraine destroys record 122 Russian artillery pieces in one day, half of what the British army has in total, according to Forbes. Trump officials discuss the likelihood of not being able to secure a Ukraine peace deal in the next few months, Reuters says.
Russia dropped almost 50 glide bombs on Sumy region in past day, Zelenskyi says
In the past day, Russia dropped almost 50 glide bombs on Sumy region and launched drone strikes on the cities of Kharkiv and Odesa. Some of the attacks were directed at energy facilities, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said on X on Wednesday.
“Russian attacks with glide bombs continue. Russia used almost 50 guided aerial bombs against our Sumy region between yesterday afternoon and this morning alone,” he said.
Russia also launched drone attacks on the city of Kharkiv and the regions of Odesa and Sumy. Some of the strikes targeted energy facilities, Zelenskyi said. An FPV drone hit a power substation in Sumy region. A power line was damaged by artillery fire in Nikopol, in the region of Dnipro, knocking out power to almost 4,000 customers.
“This systematic and constant nature of Russian strikes clearly indicates that Moscow despises the diplomatic efforts of partners. Putin does not even want to ensure a partial ceasefire. What’s needed is new and tangible pressure on Russia to put this war on a path toward ending,” the Ukrainian president said.
“We should not wait until April 11, when it will be a month since Russia said ‘no’ to the American proposal for a ceasefire. Action must be taken as soon as possible. We are ready to work with all our partners in the U.S., Europe, and around the world in the most constructive way to achieve this much-needed result — a dignified and lasting peace,” Zelenskyi continued.
The Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down 41 out of 74 drones launched by Russia during an overnight attack on Wednesday. Twenty more disappeared off radar after likely being disabled by electronic warfare systems. The regions of Kharkiv, Donetsk and Odesa sustained damage as a result of the strikes.
Russia attacked Kharkiv with Geran 2 drones overnight on Wednesday, injuring eight, including a nine-month-old baby.
Ukraine destroys record 122 Russian artillery pieces in one day, half of what British army has in total, according to Forbes
Ukraine is destroying record amounts of Russian artillery by deploying increasingly effective systems to locate and target big guns, Forbes said. In the last few weeks the action has shifted up a gear, with Ukraine claiming a staggering 122 artillery pieces on 28th March, the highest daily total ever. The paragraphs below are quoted from the article.
Ukraine reportedly destroyed some 1,644 guns in March, about triple the rate from 18 months ago. For comparison, the U.S. has about 3,000 artillery pieces, the British Army has 200 total.
While these numbers are impossible to verify, satellite images show Russia has been emptying its storage yards and warehouses of Soviet-era gear to make up the losses.
There is also plenty of video evidence of Russian artillery being destroyed, and importing North Korean artillery of an odd caliber (170mm) is a strong indication Russia can no longer field enough guns on its own.
Artillery now plays a much decreased role; the Russians now rely more on glide bombs for tactical firepower at the front line. While there may be several reasons for the decline in artillery — loss of the scout drones to find targets and adjust fire, a reduction in the number of shells available — the destruction of guns on the front line looks like a significant factor.
Until this war, the standard method for locating artillery was counter-battery radar. This is generally a large, vehicle-mounted system with a huge radar dish able to detect and track artillery shells in flight. A ballistic computer can follow the shell’s path, then calculate backwards and locate the point of launch within seconds.
Russia’s Zoopark is a typical counter-batter radar, able to detect a 155mm howitzer from more than 14 miles away, HiMARS from more than 20 miles and ATACMS from more than 40 miles.
Such systems have two big drawbacks. They are expensive, making them scarce, and the radar emissions are easy to detect and locate. This is why we see videos like the one in which a Ukrainian FPV destroys a $24 million Zoopark.
Russia lost more artillery systems and vehicles throughout March than in any other single month of the war so far, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said on April 1.
Ukrainian troops damaged or destroyed 1,644 Russian artillery systems in March, with the highest daily tally of 122 pieces recorded on March 27.
In the first three months of this year, Ukrainian forces destroyed 9,971 Russian vehicles and fuel tanks. Russia lost 3,422 such pieces during the same period a year earlier.
In March, Russia lost 41,160 soldiers killed or wounded, an increase from February’s 36,570 troops, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said as cited by the country’s defense ministry. Russia lost 125,970 soldiers killed or wounded in the first three months of 2025, an increase from the same period a year prior when Russia lost 82,870 troops.
Trump officials discuss likelihood of not being able to secure Ukraine peace deal in next few months, Reuters says
Senior Trump administration officials have discussed in recent days the likelihood that the U.S. will be unable to secure a Ukraine peace deal in the next few months and are drawing up new plans to pressure both Kyiv and Moscow, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter cited by Reuters. The paragraphs below are quoted from the article.
At the start of his administration, President Donald Trump and his top advisers set out to reach a full ceasefire by April or May. They hoped to broker a lasting peace deal in the following months.
But neither agreement appears imminent, the officials said, raising the possibility that the three-year-old war will drag on and that Ukraine will need more Western support for its military operations.
But neither agreement appears imminent, the officials said, raising the possibility that the three-year-old war will drag on and that Ukraine will need more Western support for its military operations.
Top U.S. officials have for weeks complained privately about Kyiv’s handling of the negotiations and what they view as resistance to a minerals deal with Washington and moving forward with peace talks. But in recent days, the sources said, officials are increasingly frustrated with Moscow.
In a series of meetings and calls over the weekend, officials inside the White House and State Department acknowledged that Russian President Vladimir Putin is actively resisting Washington’s attempts to strike a lasting peace accord and discussed what, if any, economic or diplomatic punishments could push Russia closer to a deal, the sources said.
Trump has for weeks said he trusts the Russian president and that he believes the leader is committed to peace, but the White House has grown wary of Putin’s intentions in recent days, the sources said, though Trump continues to signal publicly his belief that Putin wants to end the war.
It is not clear what specific plans the administration may have to pressure Moscow, but one senior U.S. official said the White House is continuing to look at additional tariff and sanctions measures it can levy on the country.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview released on Tuesday that Moscow cannot accept U.S. proposals to end the war in their current form because they do not address the issues the Kremlin believes started the war.
Trump has for weeks said he trusts Putin and that he believes the Russian leader is committed to peace. Trump also said late Sunday there is a “psychological deadline” for Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.