UPDATE - Ukraine’s president says nearly 9,000 Russian soldiers killed within a week

UPDATES WITH UKRAINIAN GENERAL STAFF STATEMENT

By Ali Cura and Ruslan Rehimov

KYIV, Ukraine (AA) – Ukraine’s president said early Thursday that nearly 9,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the full-scale war on the country began a week ago.

“About 9,000 Russians were killed in a week. In the direction of Mykolaiv, they had to take 200, 300 (Russian soldiers) 19-20 years old with dozens of helicopters,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an address to the nation.

“Wherever they go, they will be destroyed. The invaders will get their answer from the Ukrainians,” Zelenskyy said, adding this is a “Patriotic War” for Ukrainians.

Noting that Ukrainians drove out the invaders from their cities with their bare hands, he added: “I sincerely admire the Ukrainians. We will drive them (Russians) away in disgrace…These are not state fighters. These are used, lost children.”

“We thwart their plans that had been prepared for years. More invaders are fleeing from us towards their homes,” he said.

Stressing that every invader should know that they will receive a fierce rebuff from the Ukrainians, Zelenskyy said they will not give up and that the Russians will remember this forever.

The Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement that the Ukrainian army destroyed 30 aircraft, 31 helicopters, 217 tanks, 900 armored vehicles, 90 artillery, two light high-speed speed power boats and three unmanned aerial vehicles belonging to Russia.

It added that Russian forces also lost 42 rocket launcher systems, 374 vehicles, 60 fuel vehicles, and 11 air defense systems.

Over 2,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia launched its attacks on Feb. 24, according to Ukrainian authorities.

As the war entered its eighth day on Thursday, the UN Refugee Agency said some 1 million have been forced to flee from Ukraine to neighboring countries.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar