10 points: Defiant Ukraine calls Russian soldiers 'confused children' as Russia confirms 498 casualties

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Ukrainians to keep up their resistance but didn’t comment on whether the Russians have seized any cities. “They will have no peace here,” Zelenskyy said, calling on the Russian soldiers to “go home”

New Delhi:For the first time in its ongoing attack on Ukraine, Russia's Defense Ministry Wednesday reported 498 of its soldiers had been killed and 1,597 others wounded so far. The overall civilian casualties in the ongoing war Russia started waging in Ukraine eight days ago have reached 752, according to United Nations though the number is likely to be way higher as Ukraine had claimed more than 2,000 civilian deaths by Wednesday.

Here are the latest developments in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine

1. More than 1 million people have fled Ukraine following Russia's invasion, in the swiftest refugee exodus this century, the United Nations said Thursday, as Russian forces kept up their bombardment of the country's second-biggest city, Kharkiv, and laid siege to two strategic seaports.
2. Russia says its troops have taken the Ukrainian port city of Kherson. While the Ukrainian military denies this, reports from the ground say that Kherson’s mayor, Igor Kolykhaiev has confirmed that Russian forces seized Kherson after taking control of the local council building. Russian forces have also been bombarding the country’s second-biggest city, Kharkiv, and laid siege to two strategic seaports.
3. Delegations from Russia and Ukraine are expected to hold talks in Belarus on Thursday, the second round of face-to-face discussions since the Russian invasion eight days ago. In a video address to the nation early Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Ukrainians to keep up their resistance but didn’t comment on whether the Russians have seized any cities. “They will have no peace here,” Zelenskyy said, calling on the Russian soldiers to “go home” and describing them as "confused children who have been used.” He said the Russian death toll has reached about 9,000.
4. Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich confirmed Wednesday he’s trying to sell the Premier League Chelsea soccer club, with a price tag of at least $2.5 billion floated. He said net proceeds from the sale will be donated to benefit all victims of the war in Ukraine.
5. In Washington, the White House announced additional sanctions against Russia and Belarus, including extending export controls that target Russian oil refining and entities supporting both countries’ militaries. The U.S. is also joining Europe and Canada in closing off its airspace to Russian airlines. Additionally, Airbus and Boeing said they would cut off spare parts and technical support to the country’s airlines. The French-based Airbus and U.S.-based Boeing's aircraft account for the vast majority of Russia’s passenger fleet.
6. In a stunning reversal, Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from the Paralympics Games for their countries’ roles in the war in Ukraine. The International Paralympic Committee announced the about-face less than 24 hours after it had said it would allow the athletes to compete when the Games open on Friday as neutral athletes with colours, flags and other national symbols removed.
7. The UN General Assembly on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to censure Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while India abstained on the vote "in view the totality of the evolving situation". The 141 votes that the resolution -- more than two-thirds of those voting -- received was a diplomatic blow to Moscow. This was the fourth abstention by India on a vote on the Ukraine issue at the UN -- the other three at the Security Council where India is an elected member.
8. Approximately 8,000 Indians, mainly students, are still stranded in Ukraine, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Tuesday. Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia on Thursday said that 3,726 Indians will be brought back home on Thursday by 19 flights from Bucharest, Suceava, Kosice, Budapest, and Rzeszow.
9. Britain’s Ministry of Defense says that a Russian military column heading for Kyiv has made “little discernible progress” over the past three days and remains over 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the centre of the city. The column has been delayed by Ukrainian resistance, mechanical breakdowns and congestion, the ministry said in its daily intelligence briefing Thursday.
10. The German news agency DPA reported that Germany has approved sending 2,700 anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine. The report quoted unnamed Economy Ministry officials on Thursday saying the weapons are Soviet-made, shoulder-fired Strela surface-to-air missiles left over from East German army supplies.