Russia fired 3,000 bombs at Ukraine in March alone

Russia fired over 3,000 guided aerial bombs, 600 drones and 400 missiles at Ukraine in March alone, President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday.

Russia stepped up its long-range air strike campaign on Ukrainian energy infrastructure over last two weeks, destroying another chunk of a system already hobbled by Russian strikes during 25-month full-scale invasion.

Separately, Russia has increased its use of guided air-dropped bombs in frontline areas in recent months. These are dropped from warplanes well inside Russian-controlled territory, and glide towards their targets at high speed.

For Moscow, they have become an efficient way to drop vast amounts of explosives onto Ukrainian entrenchments and buildings near the front.

Meanwhile, Nato foreign ministers met yesterday to discuss how to put military support for Ukraine on a long-term footing, including a proposal for a 100 billion euro five-year fund and a plan seen as a way to "Trump-proof" aid for Kyiv.