Ukraine war: Russia says 498 troops killed, second round of talks likely today

Russia on Wednesday gave its first casualty figures during the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Russian government said that 498 of its troops have been killed in the fighting so far.

Ukraine has said that at least 2,000 of its civilians have been killed in Russian bombings that entered eighth day on Thursday.

Moscow on Wednesday said that its forces have captured South Ukrainian city of Kherson, while Ukraine claimed that the fight for the city was still on and it had not fallen to Russia.

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Both sides are gearing up for a second round of talks in Belarus. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked Russia to stop bombings before talks. The first round of talks in Belarus last week didn't deliver any result.

Ukraine's second largest city Kharkiv has been under massive assault from Russian forces. Russian paratroopers landed in the city, triggering clashes in the streets, Ukrainian forces said. Authorities said 21 people were killed by shelling and airstrikes in the city in the past 24 hours.

Russia has also been bombarding the port of Mariupol in the South. The besieged city's mayor said Mariupol had suffered mass casualties after a night of intense strikes.