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A Ukrainian soldier in the capital Kiev: 3,500 Russian forces are said to have been killed
Photo: DANIEL LEAL / AFP
The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine is also claiming victims in its own ranks: 3,500 Russian soldiers are said to have been killed since the invasion began, said Alexei Arestovich, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Most recently, 2,800 fatalities were reported on the Russian side on Friday.
The information cannot be independently verified at this time.
So far, Russia has not reported any casualties in its own ranks.
As of Saturday, Ukrainian authorities said 198 civilians had been killed and more than 1,100 injured.
Because of the conflict, tens of thousands of people are fleeing.
A senior US Defense Department official said in a briefing for journalists that more than 50 percent of Russian forces concentrated along Ukraine's border are believed to have entered Ukraine.
On Friday there was only talk of a third.
Tens of thousands of Russian soldiers in Ukraine
The volume of Russian troop movements near Ukraine was estimated at more than 150,000 troops.
In addition to the combat units, this also included units for logistics and other tasks, it said.
Exactly how many soldiers entered Ukraine, the representative didn't want to say: "I think it's safe to assume that this is about tens of thousands."
All important developments on the war in Ukraine can be found here.
Russia launched a major attack on Ukraine on Thursday morning.
Rockets and artillery shells fell in several cities.
Within a few hours, Russian ground troops had then advanced to the greater Kiev area.
However, Zelenskyi's adviser Arestovich said that the Russian attack on Kiev is currently not progressing.
"We are fighting the enemy around Kiev, the enemy is not moving at the moment," he said.
hba/Reuters/AFP/AP/dpa