Russia's Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that a total of 498 Russian soldiers were killed, and 1,597 were injured so far during Russia's special military operation to secure Donbass.

The Ministry's spokesperson Igor Konashenkov told reporters that Ukraine's forces lost over 2,870 soldiers, and almost 3,700 were injured.

"According to only confirmed data, the number of captured soldiers of the security forces of Ukraine is 572 people," Konashenkov said.

The Russian Defense Ministry has organized a safe passage for Ukrainian civilians fleeing Kiev: The passage allows Ukrainians to take the highway to Vasilkov, a city 20 kilometers southwest of the capital, according to a statement issued on Monday, adding that "this direction is open and safe."

The ministry added that Russia "only attacks military objects" and that the civilian population would be safe.

5 km column of Russian troops 'moving towards Kiev'

In satellite imagery taken on Sunday, a 5-kilometer column of Russian troops and tanks could be seen "moving towards Kiev."

Maxar Technologies, a space technology company, released images showing a large deployment of Russian ground troops moving in the direction of the Ukrainian capital from about 64 kilometers away.

According to Maxar, the deployment included hundreds of military vehicles and spanned more than 5 kilometers.

The convoy was located northeast of Ivankiv, Ukraine, and carried fuel, logistics, and armored vehicles such as tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and self-propelled artillery.