Russia says more than 23,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed since the attack began

“As of today, there are already 23,367 (Ukrainian) irreparable losses,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman General Igor Konashenkov told reporters.

A Russian spokesman said the number included soldiers from the Ukrainian army and national guards, as well as foreign mercenaries.

Konashenkov announced that the Russian Ministry of Defense plans to soon release parts of the documents on their military casualties from the Ukrainian side.

A spokesman rejected figures presented today by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said 2,500 to 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since the start of the war.

“On April 16, in Mariupol alone, the losses on the Ukrainian side were more than 4,000 soldiers,” Konashenkov said.

The Russian military points to the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the entire city of Mariupol, a strategic port city on the shores of the Sea of ​​Azov in the south (eastern Ukraine) of the Donetsk region.

“The remains of Ukrainian groups are completely encircled in the territory of the Azovstel Metallurgical Institute. The only chance to save their lives is to lay down their arms and surrender,” he stressed.

In addition, the spokesman said that during the day the Russian armed forces attacked 15 Ukrainian military installations with high-precision missiles from aircraft.

“As a result of the attacks, more than 320 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and wounded, 23 armored cars and seven cars were destroyed,” he added.

Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine on February 24 that killed nearly 2,000 civilians, warning that the actual number could be higher, according to UN data.

More than 12 million people fled as a result of the war, and more than five million of them fled to neighboring countries.

The Russian invasion was generally condemned by the international community, which responded by sending arms to Ukraine and strengthening economic and political sanctions on Moscow.