Russian strikes killed three people across Ukraine on March 17, with children among the injured

Russian shelling on March 17, 2026, killed three people in the Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions. According to the National Police, at least 34 others were injured, with casualties also reported in the Donetsk, Kherson, and Sumy Oblasts.

Wall of a house, on which hit the Russian military in the Kharkiv Oblast

The victims of Russian strikes that day include:

• A 54-year-old man in Kharkiv;
• A driver in the Malomykhailivka “hromada,” a local government area that includes one or more nearby settlements, whose vehicle was targeted by a drone;
• An elderly man in Preobrazhenka, who succumbed to his injuries following an enemy airstrike.

In addition to the fatalities, many other civilians were wounded, including at least 12 in the Donetsk Oblast. Russian forces struck the region over 1,700 times using a variety of weapons, with casualties reported in Druzhkivka, Kostiantynivka, and Kramatorsk. Among the injured in Kramatorsk were two boys, aged 5 and 14.

In the Zaporizhzhia region, nine civilians — eight postal workers and an elderly woman — sustained injuries due to Russian strikes.

In the Kherson Oblast, Russian attacks injured five people, including residents of Bilozerka, Nova Kamianka, and Kherson.

A house in the Kherson region shelled by the Russian military

Three more civilians were injured in Russian strikes across the Dnipropetrovsk region. These include a passenger from the vehicle where the driver was killed, as well as an elderly woman. Additionally, Russian forces targeted an evacuation vehicle in the Oblast; fortunately, no casualties were reported in that specific attack.

A damaged evacuation vehicle after a Russian military strike

In the Kharkiv Oblast, Russian forces injured three people, including a teenager in Kharkiv city.

In the Sumy region, Russian strikes wounded a 63-year-old woman and a 65-year-old man in the Krasnopillia hromada. Additionally, the Russian military targeted the railway infrastructure within the region.

A train is burning after a Russian strike in the Sumy region.

To provide background, nine people were killed in Russian strikes across Ukraine on March 16.

Ukrainian experts point out that countries including China, North Korea, Hungary, Slovakia, Iran, and Brazil assist Moscow in killing Ukrainians in its war against Ukraine by funding the Russian budget through trade.

Meanwhile, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said the EU must not only adopt the 20th sanctions package against Russia as quickly as possible but also begin discussing a 21st package that could target Russia’s largest oil companies, Delfi reported. He expressed regret that the EU has not yet adopted the 20th sanctions package against Russia.

Nauseda also stressed the need to consider the next sanctions package, as “many companies that I call ‘untouchables’ remain beyond reach.”

“First of all, I mean Rosatom, as well as Lukoil. I believe it is very important to understand that, within the framework of peace negotiations, it is impossible to achieve positive results if we adhere to an approach aimed at achieving peace. It is necessary to increase pressure in order to achieve results and change the behavior of the Russians,” he stated.