498 Russian Troops Killed And Nearly 1600 Wounded In Ongoing Ukraine Attack: Russian Defence Ministry

498 Russian troops have been killed and close to 1600 have been wounded during the ongoing operation in Ukraine, Russia’s defence ministry said today (March 2).

The country's Defense Ministry rubbished reports that there have been “countless” casualties during the conflict to date, terming them deliberate disinformation originating from the adversary.

While Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, acknowledged on Sunday (Feb 27) for the first time that “there are dead and wounded” Russian troops, he did not offered any specific number.

According to Russian military estimates, Ukrainian army units and allied paramilitary groups have reportedly lost at least 2,870 soldiers, while a further 3,700 were wounded. 572 Ukrainian troops were taken prisoner, the ministry added.

More than 7,000 Russian troops have been killed since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to Oleksiy Arestovich, a military adviser to president Volodymyr Zelenskiy. In a television briefing Arestovich said that hundreds of Russian servicemen have been taken prisoner, including senior officers.

Russian forces in Ukraine continued today to pound key cities, including the capital, Kyiv, and the southern port of Mariupol. Russians claimed to have taken full control city of Kherson, a provincial capital in the southern coastal part of Ukraine. But Ukrainians also said they were fighting to resist Russia's attempt to seize the city.

Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine last Thursday, claiming it had to use force to stop Ukrainian attacks against the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, and to demilitarize and “denazify” the country.