Russia's Defense Ministry said that 498 of its soldiers had died in Ukraine since the start of Moscow's military operation in the country, while 1,597 had been wounded, RIA news agency stated Wednesday citing the ministry.
It was the first time that Moscow had put a figure on its casualties, whereas Kyiv claims nearly 6,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the invasion began.
The ministry also said that more than 2,870 Ukrainian soldiers and "nationalists" had been killed and about 3,700 wounded, according to Interfax. The numbers could not be independently verified and there was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
On the other hand, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said earlier Wednesday that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has killed more than 2,000 Ukrainian civilians and destroyed hundreds of structures including transport facilities, hospitals, kindergartens and homes.
"Children, women and defense forces are losing their lives every hour," it said in a statement. Ten emergency responders were among the dead, it wrote in a Facebook post. The United Nations had previously spoken of 142 civilian deaths.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a long-feared invasion of Ukraine on Thursday. Since then, more than 400 fires caused "by enemy fire" have been extinguished, according to the statement. The emergency service also said that 500 people have been brought to safety.
Referring to ongoing attacks, it warned that "every hour costs the lives of our children, women and defenders."
The focus of Russia's invasion of Ukraine shifted to the southern city of Kherson on Wednesday, with Russia claiming control there while Ukraine argued that its forces were resisting.
"Russian military units have brought the center of the Kherson region completely under control," Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said.
But Oleksiy Arestovich, a Ukrainian presidential adviser, rejected this and said that fighting was ongoing.
If Kherson fell, it would be the first regional capital that Russian troops have taken since the invasion began last week. A Russian win there would also make it harder for Ukrainian forces to shift personnel and supplies between the east and the west.
The war's seventh day had started with reports of the city being surrounded and multiple civilians dead after trying to defend Kherson with petrol bombs and other weapons.
