Up to 3,000 Ukraine troops killed since Russia invaded, says Zelenskiy, as battle rages in Mariupol

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said up to 3,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed since Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, with no total yet available for civilian casualties, as fighting intensified in the battle for the southern city of Mariupol.

Russia said that since the sinking, it had struck what it described as a factory on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv that made and repaired anti-ship missiles.

The US is preparing to send the latest $800m (£610m) tranche of military aid to Ukraine, bringing to $2.6bn the total since the start of the war. The Biden administration has also made clear that it was sending increasingly heavy and sophisticated equipment, including helicopters, aerial and marine drones, and long-range 155mm howitzers, while training Ukrainian soldiers in their use.

The bodies of more than 900 civilians have now been discovered in the Kyiv region after the withdrawal of Russian forces, police have said. It is double the number announced two weeks ago by Ukrainian authorities.

In other developments: