Last war in Ukraine: Biden says Russia is “assessing options” for potential cyberattacks on US targets

Ukraine has lauded its troops defending the Sea of ​​Azov port city of Mariupol despite being surrounded by Russian forces, saying their efforts are the “rescue” of the capital Kyiv and other major cities.

Russia “no longer dreams of capturing Kyiv, is out of breath in Chernihiv and Sumy regions and receiving painful blows near Kharkiv, in Mykolayiv, Kherson and Luhansk regions,” Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in a statement on Monday.

“The Mariupol defenders played a huge role in destroying the enemy’s plans and strengthening our defenses,” he added.

“Because of their dedication and superhuman courage, tens of thousands of lives have been saved across Ukraine,” Reznikov said. “Today Mariupol saves Kyiv, Dnipro and Odessa.”

Russia’s shelling of residential and public buildings in Mariupol has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians and combatants, according to various estimates.

Without giving numbers, Reznikov conceded that “we are taking casualties” as Russian troops try to surround and capture Kyiv, as well as other major cities to the north, east and south.

Russian forces suffered much higher casualties and casualties, he said.

Since the February 24 invasion, “our soldiers shot down 100 planes and 120 helicopters, destroyed nearly 500 tanks and 1,500 Russian armored fighting vehicles,” he said.

“Therefore, Russia is gathering mercenaries around the world and making desperate attempts to push Belarusian troops into Ukraine,” he added.

Ukrainian officials claimed this weekend Russia’s military casualties rose to 14,700, including deaths, injuries and prisoners of war.

Ukraine’s claims could not be independently verified.