President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s military has delivered “powerful blows” against Russian forces leading to “significant losses”.
Speaking in his nightly video address, he said about 16,000 Russian soldiers had been killed.
“The armed forces continue to repel enemy attacks in the south of the country, in Donbas, in the Kharkiv direction and in the Kyiv region,” he told Ukrainians late on Friday.
“By restraining Russia’s actions, our defenders are leading the Russian leadership to a simple and logical idea: Talk is necessary. Meaningful. Urgent. Fair.”
Meanwhile Russia’s army said the first phase of its military campaign in Ukraine is over, and it will now focus on the eastern Donbas region.
Russia says about 1,300 of its troops have died in the fighting.
