Ukraine-Russia War — 2026-03-26

158 Combat Engagements in 24 Hours as Russia's Cumulative Losses Approach 1.3 Million

A total of 158 combat engagements were recorded in 24 hours, with Russian forces conducting 70 airstrikes, dropping 231 guided aerial bombs, launching 9,414 kamikaze drones, and carrying out 4,184 shelling attacks. Russia's total combat losses since February 2022 reached approximately 1,292,170 personnel, including 1,210 in the past day. Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces struck the Kirishi KINEF oil refinery in Leningrad Oblast—one of Russia's largest, processing roughly 350,000 barrels per day—forcing it to halt operations. The strike was part of an intensified campaign against northwestern energy infrastructure that has also targeted the Ust-Luga port complex. Russia struck Kryvyi Rih, damaging infrastructure, and launched a mass drone attack on Odesa Oblast's Izmail district, damaging port facilities including warehouses and berths, hitting energy infrastructure, and cutting power to approximately 17,000 consumers.

Analysis
EMPR's daily roundup rewrites the Ukrainian General Staff's operational update and MOD loss figures—these are not independent reports but a single source chain. The quantitative claims (158 engagements, 1,210 daily losses, cumulative 1,292,170) all originate from the Ukrainian General Staff/MOD with no independent verification of the numbers. However, the narrative events are well-corroborated: the Kirishi KINEF refinery strike is independently confirmed by Kyiv Independent, Bloomberg, Moscow Times, and Reuters (with Leningrad Oblast Governor Drozdenko confirming damage); the Kryvyi Rih and Izmail attacks are independently reported by Ukrainska Pravda, Ukrinform, and RBC-Ukraine. High confidence in the events, but the combat statistics rest entirely on Ukrainian military reporting.
2 sources
  1. Russia-Ukraine War Updates: Key Developments as of March 26, 2026 - EMPR
  2. Total Russian combat losses in Ukraine as of March 26, 2026 - Ukrainian Ministry of Defence

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