Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that about 23,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war on February 24.
In a video message late Saturday night, the Ukrainian president said more than 1,000 Russian tanks and about 2,500 military vehicles had been destroyed.
The Kremlin has officially confirmed the death of 1,351 Russian soldiers, while claiming that the losses of the Ukrainian army exceed 23 thousand.
For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defense said on Saturday that its forces had destroyed 2,600 Ukrainian tanks and armored vehicles, about 650 drones, 142 aircraft and 112 helicopters.
The hostilities are raging in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk Republics, which are largely controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
The prevailing perception is that Russia has now focused on claiming parts of southern and eastern Ukraine, following the failure of the larger offensive it initially launched.
“The occupiers are gathering additional forces for new attacks against our army in the eastern part of the country,” Zelenski said. The Ukrainian president noted that Russian forces are strengthening in Kharkov, in an effort to intensify their operations in the greater Donbass region.
Addressing the Russian soldiers, Zelensky said: “Every Russian soldier can still save his life. “Better to live in Russia than to be killed in our land.”
The Ukrainian president also said that Kyiv is continuing consultations aimed at tightening sanctions against Moscow. He even announced that a decision on restrictions on oil imports from Russia is expected “in the near future.”
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