Zelensky: Ukraine has thwarted Russia's 'sneaky' plans

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country had thwarted Russia's "sneaky" plans, saying he was proud of the "heroic" resistance to Moscow's invasion.

"We are a nation that broke the enemy's plans in a week. Plans written for years: sneaky, full of hatred for our country, our people," Zelensky said.

The president said he "sincerely admired the heroic residents" of cities who have resisted the advance of Russian forces.

He added that around 9,000 Russian soldiers had been killed since the invasion began a week ago, a claim not immediately verifiable as Moscow does not report its losses.

On Twitter, Zelensky wrote that he had spoken to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and "thanked him for the leadership in imposing anti-Russian sanctions".

"Stressed the need to expand restrictive measures," he added. "The bombing of civilians in Ukraine must be stopped immediately."

Russian troops continued to besiege major Ukrainian cities at night, shelling the northeastern city of Kharkiv and encircling the southern cities of Mariupol and Kherson, as casualties on both sides continued to rise.

Ukraine’s emergency service announced on Wednesday night that over 2,000 civilians have been killed so far in Russia’s invasion of the country, as the war neared the end of its seventh day, according to the Reuters news agency.

Meanwhile, Moscow said that 498 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine, in the first death toll Russian authorities have published since the invasion began. Another 1,597 have been wounded, a Russian defence ministry spokesperson said.

Ukraine has claimed the toll is far higher, at nearly 6,000 dead soldiers. The Russian Defence Ministry failed to publish any figures on the matter for several days, despite reports of a rising death count following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade.

Ukrainian officials did not comment on the claim and it could not be immediately verified.

Fighting has raged across Ukraine, while miles-long convoys of Russian troops have sought to encircle and besiege major Ukrainian cities. Nearly 836,000 refugees have fled to neighbouring countries, according to the United Nations.