Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Malyar has claimed that approximately 4,300 Russian troops have been killed in fighting so far.
Hanna Malyar said in a statement posted on Facebook that the exact number was being clarified, but alleged that Ukrainian forces had also destroyed about 146 tanks, 27 aircraft and 26 helicopters.
There was no immediate response to the claims from Moscow, Al Jazeera reported.
Meanwhile, Russian troops have entered Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, where street fighting is now taking place.
Strikes now target Ukrainian oil and gas facilities, igniting a depot near the capital, Kyiv.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready for peace talks, but not in Moscow’s preferred venue of Belarus.
More than 200,000 Ukrainians have fled the country since the beginning of Moscow’s assault, according to the UN.
