The situation 1462 – March 23, 2026

1. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that Russian forces intensified ground attacks across the theater in the last week, which is — consistent with ISW’s assessment that Russian forces have launched their Spring-Summer 2026 offensive.
2. The Kremlin continues to attempt to disguise and dismiss the economic impacts of its costly war in Ukraine while trying to take advantage of the current high energy prices.
3. The ongoing war in the Middle East is likely exacerbating Russia’s ability to resolve its liquidity problems related to its unsustainable wartime spending.
4. Russia is turning to private military companies (PMCs) to defend Russian critical infrastructure against Ukrainian drone strikes.
5. US and Ukrainian delegations held another round of bilateral meetings in Miami, Florida, on March 22.
6. Russia continues to take steps to expand its permanent military basing in Belarus, particularly to increase Russia’s long-range drone strikes against Ukraine.
7. Ukrainian forces recently advanced in the Slovyansk direction.
8. Ukrainian forces struck military assets and oil infrastructure in Russia. Russian forces launched 251 drones against Ukraine.

The full update of the Russian offensive 1462 is available on UNDERSTANDING WAR.