Ukraine says Russia has lost 800 soldiers, over 150 vehicles, 13 aircraft

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced early on Friday the military is continuing to fight the Russian attack in various parts of the country.

In a message on its Facebook page, the General Staff announced "Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine continues to fight in the southwestern part of the Black Sea. The bases and ports of Odessa, Yuzhny, Ochakiv, and the Black Sea are being defended."

The General Staff announced the air force had not only repulsed Russian air strikes but was conducting attacks on "columns of occupation troops in the areas of Nova Zburivka, Kupyansk, Nova Kakhovka and enemy airborne troops near Gostomel airfield".

The General Staff estimated that Russia had lost over 30 tanks and "up to 130" armoured combat vehicles and seven aircraft and six helicopters. The Defence Ministry tweeted that as of 3am (local time) on Friday, "loss of enemy personnel is approximately (to be specified) 800 people."

The General Staff noted "Certain forces and means were redeployed to the defence of Kyiv." The focus on Kyiv comes amid fears Russia would focus efforts on the capital to effectively 'decapitate' Ukraine's civilian and military leadership and hasten an end to the fighting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said early on Friday 137 civilians and military personnel have been killed so far in the Russian invasion of his country.

He called them "heroes" in a video address released early on Friday in which he also said hundreds more have been wounded.

Zelenskyy said that despite Russia's claim it is attacking only military targets, civilian sites also have been struck. In his words: "They're killing people and turning peaceful cities into military targets. It's foul and will never be forgiven."

An adviser to the Ukrainian president office Mykhailo Podolyak announced late on Thursday Russian forces had captured the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which was the site of a catastrophic accident in 1986.