Between 60 and 100 Ukrainian soldiers die every day in combat and some 500 others are injured, assured the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to the American media Newsmax in an interview published on Wednesday.

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"The situation in the east is really difficult," Zelensky added.

“We lose 60 to 100 soldiers a day, killed in combat, and some 500 are wounded,” detailed the 44-year-old leader, who spoke through an interpreter.

This high number of casualties comes as Ukrainian troops are fighting fiercely against a powerful concentration of Russian forces trying to take control of the Lugansk region in eastern Ukraine.

"Most" of Severodonetsk, a key city in this area, is now under the control of the Russian army, after numerous bombings which destroyed around 90% of the city according to Ukrainian television.

"We hold our defensive positions" in the East, however, underlined Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Russians also suffered significant losses according to information from the front.

The Ukrainian government estimated last week that Russia had lost more than 30,000 soldiers since the start of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24.