<Anchor>



Russia is not only raising the level of attack on Ukraine, but also tightening the reins of tension towards the international community.

Russia's foreign minister has warned that if World War 3 happens, it will be a devastating nuclear war.

In addition, various countermeasures have been poured out in response to high-strength sanctions from the West, including the United States.



This is reporter Jae Hee-won.



<Reporter>



Russian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Igor Konashenkov said that 498 Russian and 2,870 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in military operations in Ukraine so far.



This is the first time that Russia has specifically announced the loss of its troops participating in a military operation in Ukraine.



Konashenkov said, "The information about the massive loss of the Russian military that the Western media and some Russian media is distributing is intentional distortion of information."



The spokesperson also added that the Russian military had created safe passageways for civilians leaving Ukraine's capital Kyiv and the eastern city of Kharkiv.



Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov warned in an interview with Al Jazeera that "World War III will be a devastating nuclear war."



Lavrov also warned that Ukraine "will not condone" the possibility of nuclear weapons, although it has "technical capabilities".



The Russian government is also pouring out various countermeasures to ultra-high-strength sanctions from the West, including the United States.



To prevent the outflow of foreign capital within the country, the Russian financial authorities have closed the stock market for three days in a row.



It also banned the export of foreign currency in excess of $10,000 or about 12 million won from Russia.



The ruble has fallen to an all-time low since the invasion of Ukraine, and European subsidiaries of Russia's largest bank, Sberbank, are on the brink of bankruptcy.