KYIV, Ukraine 

Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces said Thursday that there has been a "significant reduction in the intensity of the movement" of Russian military equipment on the Belarusian border.

On its social media account, the Ukrainian military shared the latest developments from the war on its 57th day.

Saying that Russia continued its operations in Ukraine's eastern regions in order to establish full control over the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, the General Staff said "missile and bomb strikes on military and civilian infrastructure throughout Ukraine continue."

"Some units of the Belarusian Armed Forces continue to carry out tasks to cover the Ukrainian-Belarusian border in the Brest and Gomel regions," it added.

Noting that Russia "tried to take full control of Mariupol," the Ukrainian army said Russian forces "continued to carry out air strikes and attempted assaults in the area of ​​the seaport and the Azovstal plant."

It said "self-proclaimed occupation authorities announced the mobilization of males" in Kherson oblast and that "according to available information, a so-called ‘referendum’ is planned for May 1 in the Russian-occupied part of the Kherson region."

"And in the period May 2-10, there is planned to be a 'census'. Locals are prohibited from moving between settlements," it added.

The General Staff also noted that Russia is suffering "significant losses in personnel and military equipment."

"According to updated data, the commander of the First Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Second Motorized Rifle Division of the First Tank Army of the Western Military District, Lieutenant Colonel Denis Mezhuyev, was eliminated by the defenders of Ukraine," it said.

*Writing by Merve Aydogan in Ankara