Russia boosts guided bomb attacks on Ukraine

Russian forces dropped nearly 8,000 guided aerial bombs on Ukraine in March, Ukrainian defense officials said.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Russian troops used 7,987 guided aerial bombs, known as KABs, during the month. The total was more than 1,500 higher than in February, which had previously been the highest monthly figure.

Fighting on the ground remained intense throughout March. The General Staff recorded 4,985 combat engagements over the course of the month, a level that suggests sustained clashes across several active sectors of the front.

The heaviest single day came on March 17, when 286 combat engagements were reported.

Russian forces also kept up a high volume of artillery fire. Ukraine said the military recorded more than 115,000 artillery strikes in March, including 2,834 attacks involving multiple launch rocket systems.

Taken together, the figures show that Russia is continuing to lean on a mix of airstrikes, artillery barrages, and steady frontline assaults to keep pressure on Ukrainian defenses.

Guided aerial bombs have become one of the war’s most closely watched strike weapons. Dropped from aircraft and fitted with guidance kits, they allow crews to hit targets from a distance while limiting exposure to frontline air defense systems.

That has made them particularly effective against defensive positions, troop concentrations, and logistics points near the line of contact.

For Ukraine, the steady rise in precision-guided glide munition strikes adds to an already difficult battlefield environment. Combined with constant artillery fire and frequent combat engagements, the data released for March point to a war that remains deeply attritional, with both sides continuing to commit large amounts of firepower.

The latest figures also suggest that the overall pace of combat has not eased as spring begins, with air-delivered strikes now playing an increasingly visible role in Russia’s effort to maintain pressure across the front.