Ukraine said it aimed to establish up to 10 humanitarian corridors to evacuate trapped civilians, but civilians trying to flee besieged Mariupol will have to use private vehicles.
The Kremlin imposed no-fly restrictions on hundreds of Australians, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison, in response to new Australian sanctions.
Alleged war crimes have continued to emerge as Russian troops withdrew from areas around the capital Kyiv.
With Russian forces expected to mount a renewed offensive into the disputed eastern region of Donbas soon, Moscow acknowledged for the first time that it had suffered "significant" casualties in the war so far.
Some residents are also returning to Kyiv as authorities continue to document alleged atrocities nearby.
Here is the latest on Russia's invasion of Ukraine:
Safe corridors to be established
The 10 planned safe corridors announced by Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk were all in southern and eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have been regrouping for a new offensive, and that Moscow plans to seize as much territory as it can in the eastern part of Ukraine known as Donbas, which borders Russia.
Ms Vereshchuk said 4,676 civilians had been evacuated from Ukrainian towns and cities on Thursday.
Multiple attempts to agree safe passage for buses to take supplies to Mariupol and bring out civilians have failed since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, with each side blaming the other.
Mayor Vadym Boychenko put the civilian death toll in the port city on the Sea of Azov at about 5,000 over a week ago, and tens of thousands are still trapped without power and with few supplies.
Moscow imposes travel ban on 228 Australians
Russia's Foreign Ministry says it has imposed entry bans on 228 Australian government members and politicians, including Mr Morrison and Defence Minister Peter Dutton, in response to sanctions from Canberra.
It has published a list of 228 Australian politicians and officials barred from entering Russia.
The announcement came after Foreign Minister Marise Payne announced further sanctions against 67 Russian individuals on Thursday over Moscow's "illegal war" against Ukraine.
"Those sanctioned include prominent Russian military official Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, who has been described as the 'Butcher of Mariupol', for attacks including the bombing of the theatre in which innocent civilians were sheltering in Mariupol," Senator Payne said.
Mr Morrison's office said in a statement that 20 Bushmaster vehicles were being gifted to Ukraine to assist its war effort, as requested during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address to parliament last week.
"A Ukrainian flag is painted on either side with the words 'United with Ukraine' stencilled in English and Ukrainian to acknowledge our commitment and support to the government and people of Ukraine," the statement said.
It follows Australia providing about $116 million in defence assistance to Ukraine, and pledging to provide 70,000 tons of coal to the war-torn country.
Mr Dutton said Australia would continue to stand with Ukraine against tyranny and autocrats.
"People have fought and died for the freedoms that we have in our country. We need to realise we just can't take for granted what we have, our system of democracy and freedom of speech," he said.
"These are values that dictators like Putin and Hitler and others will always be against. We need to stand up against them."
Zelenskyy warns of horror in Borodyanka
Mr Zelenskyy said the situation in the town of Borodyanka near the capital Kyiv was "significantly more dreadful" than in nearby Bucha, where the suspected deliberate killing of civilians by Russian forces has been broadly condemned.
"The work to clear the rubble in Borodyanka has begun … It's significantly more dreadful there. Even more victims from the Russian occupiers," Mr Zelenskyy said in a video statement.
He did not provide any further detail or evidence that Russia was responsible for civilian deaths in the town.
"And what will happen when the world learns the whole truth about what the Russian military did in Mariupol?" Mr Zelenskyy added.
"There, on almost every street, is what the world saw in Bucha and other towns in the Kyiv region after the withdrawal of Russian troops."
Local officials said more than 300 people were killed by Russian forces in Bucha, 35 kilometres north-west of Kyiv, and around 50 of them were executed.
Moscow has denied targeting civilians and says images of dead civilians have been staged by the Ukrainian government to justify more sanctions against Moscow and derail peace negotiations.
Some locals return to Kyiv
Some Ukrainians have returned to Kyiv after Russian troops withdrew from the outskirts of the city, but officials have warned people not to return to the capital just yet, fearful of a renewed Russian offensive.
For several of those arriving at the busy main train station in central Kyiv on Thursday, the desire to see elderly parents or to continue their jobs outweighed any safety concerns.
Some workers returned without their families, leaving wives and children in the relative safety of western Ukraine.
Others were making a quick dash to pick up more of their belongings and cars before heading out again.
There were more signs of something more akin to normal life returning to Kyiv. Some played chess in the park as an air raid siren sounded.
Joggers headed out for their morning runs, women walked together with their dogs and church bells summoned believers to a morning service.
A few said they had returned to stay, at least for now.
Meanwhile, residents in nearby villages have assessed the damage caused to their homes.
Europe correspondent Isabella Higgins sent this report from the badly damaged village of Andriivka:
Russia laments 'huge tragedy' of troop deaths
Russia has given the most sombre assessment so far of its invasion of Ukraine, describing the "tragedy" of mounting troop losses and the economic hit from sanctions.
Ukrainians are being evacuated from eastern cities before an anticipated major Russian offensive there.
Moscow has previously acknowledged its attack has not progressed as quickly as it wanted, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov's latest comments went further than that.
"We have significant losses of troops," he told Sky News.
"It's a huge tragedy for us."
Russia is facing its most difficult economic situation for three decades due to unprecedented Western sanctions, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said.
The US Congress removed its "most favoured nation" trade status in a further blow to Russia.
On the battlefield, Ukrainian authorities said Russian troops were regrouping to try to gain full control over the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, which have been partly held by Russian-backed separatists since 2014.
UN suspends Russia from top human rights body
The UN General Assembly has voted to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council over allegations of horrific rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, which many countries have described as war crimes.
It is a rare move, given Russia is one of the five veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council.
US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield called the vote "a historic moment," telling the assembly: "We have collectively sent a strong message that the suffering of victims and survivors will not be ignored" and that Russia must be held accountable "for this unprovoked, unjust, unconscionable war".
Russia's deputy ambassador Gennady Kuzmin said Russia had already withdrawn from the council before the assembly took action, apparently in expectation of the result.
By withdrawing, council spokesman Rolando Gomez said Russia avoided being deprived of observer status at the rights body.
Mr Kuzmin said Russia considered adoption of the resolution "an illegitimate and politically motivated step" by a group of countries with "short-term political and economic interests" that he accused of "blatant and massive violations of human rights".
The US launched the campaign to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council in the wake of videos and photos showing streets in Bucha strewn with the bodies of civilians after Russian soldiers retreated.
The deaths have sparked global revulsion and calls for tougher sanctions on Russia, which has vehemently denied its troops were responsible.
ABC/wires
