About 500 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and many more wounded on the battlefield in Mykolaiv on Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday.
Ukrainian officials affirmed that the eastern industrial city of Severodonetsk was "hell" as Russian troops moved to encircle two key cities in the Donbas where Moscow has concentrated its military efforts.
"For four months all our positions have been under fire from everything — and I just want to emphasize this — from all the weapons that the Russian army has," the Lugansk regional governor Sergiy Gaiday said in a statement on social media.
"It's just hell out there," he added, referring to Severodonetsk, which has been heavily shelled for weeks by Russian forces. "Our boys are holding their positions and will continue to hold on as long as necessary."
On his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that he was "proud" of the action of his soldiers in Ukraine, where Moscow says it is conducting a military operation.
"We are proud that during the special military operation our fighters act with courage, professionalism, like real heroes," Putin said in televised remarks during a Kremlin meeting with military academy graduates.
"In the face of new threats and risks, we will further develop and strengthen our Armed Forces," he noted, promising the new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile would be commissioned by the end of the year.
"There is no doubt that we will be even stronger," the Russian leader added.
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