Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has posted a self-shot video of himself on Twitter walking around the streets of Kyiv in an apparent effort to combat rumours that he has called on the army to surrender to Russian troops.
“There’s a lot of fake information online that I call on our army to lay down arms, and that there’s evacuation,” he said against a backdrop of Kyiv’s Gorodetsky House.
“I’m here. We won’t lay down our arms. We will defend our state.”
Similarly, the Ukrainian military has published what they claim is a breakout of Russia’s losses.
According to a post on its Facebook page, more than 3,500 Russian soldiers involved in the invasion have been killed and almost 200 taken prisoner.
They add that Russia has also lost 14 aircraft, 8 helicopters, and 102 tanks so far. The BBC is unable to independently verify any of these claims.
Russia has so far not acknowledged any casualties.
Meanwhile, Weapons and equipment are en route from France to Ukraine, as the West supplies aid to Ukraine in their battle with advancing Russian troops.
President Zelensky tweeted that he had spoken to France’s President Macron early on Saturday morning as a “new day on the diplomatic frontline began”.
“The anti-war coalition is working!” Mr Zelensky tweeted.
On Saturday, Mr Macron posted a video of himself declaring: “The war will last – we must prepare for it!”
