Russia has lost up to 5,000 men in battles for a single district in Chasiv Yar, according to the Ukrainian military spokesperson Nazar Volosjyn on Ukrainian TV.
Just in one day at the end of the week, more than 100 Russian soldiers were killed around Chasiv Yar, according to Volosjyn.
The information comes after Ukraine confirmed on Thursday that the country's forces had withdrawn from parts of the strategically important city in eastern Ukraine.
The battles around Chasiv Yar near Bakhmut have been raging since February, when Russia shifted its focus after capturing Avdiivka. If the Russians succeed in capturing Chasiv Yar as well, it is believed to open up for further advances in the Donetsk region, writes the newspaper Kyiv Independent.