Russia-Ukraine War News: 137 Ukrainian Soldiers Die On First Day Of Invasion

More than 130 soldiers in Ukraine have been killed since Russian troops began invading the country early Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

In a video message posted on Facebook, Zelenskyy said at least 137 Ukrainian soldiers have now died and 316 people have been wounded following Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

The dead included 10 military officers and 13 border guards who were defending Ukraine’s Zmiiniyi Island, also called “Snake Island,” in the Black Sea. The island is now under the control of Russian forces.

Several reports also said that the Russian invasion has led to the deaths of 57 people, including a boy who died after shelling struck an apartment building. Medical workers and hospital staffers have also been included in the numbers. The number of Russian casualties is not clear.

The assault on Ukraine began in the early hours of Thursday just moments after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation.” The first blasts were heard at 5 a.m. As air raid sirens rang out across the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Zelensky moved to impose martial law.

Around 6 a.m., Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that it has disabled Ukraine’s air defense after launching an attack on the country’s airbases and military infrastructure.

As of Thursday evening, Russian troops seized full control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office, said.

"It is impossible to say the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is safe after a totally pointless attack by the Russians," he added. "This is one of the most serious threats in Europe today.”

It is unclear what Russia plans to do with Chernobyl. However, the takeover has raised fears over the disturbance of the worst nuclear accident in history as the site still contains highly radioactive debris.

Should the structure keeping the reactor’s remains be damaged or broken, it could lead to the release of radioactive emissions, James Acton, a physicist and co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told The Verge.

Ukraine is currently drafting reservists aged 18 to 60 to join the forces responding to the Russian invasion.