How many have died in Ukraine? The estimated death toll of soldiers and civilians so far

Thousands of people are believed to have died in the past week as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin launched an attack on the neighbouring country in the early hours of Thursday, February 24, striking major cities with missiles and advancing troops on the capital of Kyiv.

The total number of people who have lost their lives as a result of the crisis is difficult to determine - but some official agencies have released estimates of the death toll so far.

Hundreds of civilians, as well as soldiers, have been killed in the fighting.

On Wednesday, March 2, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said it believed that a total of more than 2,000 civilians have died in a week of war with Russia.

Estimates of deaths have also been provided for individual attacks in some of Ukraine's main cities.

A Russian strike that hit the regional police and intelligence headquarters in Kharkiv, a city of about 1.5 million, is understood to have killed four people and left several wounded, according to the emergency services.

On Monday, February 28, Ukrainian authorities said that dozens of people had been killed and hundreds more wounded in rocket strikes in Kharkiv.

The Mayor of Kharkiv put the confirmed number of people killed in the attack at nine. He also said 37 people had been injured, including three children.

On Tuesday, March 1, five people were reportedly killed in an air strike near to a TV tower in Kyiv.

It had previously been reported that 13 border guards on Zmiinyi Island in the Odesa region had been killed. They refused to surrender after the island was invaded by two Russian warships.

However, it is now understood that the group are alive and are being held captive by Russian forces.

Neither Russia