President Volodymyr Zelenskiy revealed during a news conference in Kyiv that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had lost their lives since Russia’s full-scale invasion two years ago. This marked the first official figure released in over a year. Mr. Zelenskyy refrained from disclosing the number of wounded soldiers, citing concerns that it could aid Russian military planning. He denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims of exaggerated casualties, stating that the actual toll of 31,000 was a significant loss for Ukraine.
Since late 2022, the country had not provided a specific count of military casualties, with the last figure being 13,000 soldiers killed since the invasion began on February 24. The topic of battlefield casualties remains sensitive, especially as Ukraine seeks to reorganize its forces following the previous year’s unsuccessful counteroffensive against Russian forces. Moreover, Mr. Zelenskyy mentioned that 180,000 Russian troops had been killed in the conflict, highlighting the toll on both sides of the conflict.
While Russia does not disclose its military losses, Ukraine and Russia continually point to each other’s enormous casualties. Mr. Zelenskyy also acknowledged the civilian deaths in the occupied regions of Ukraine, emphasizing the challenges in accurately assessing the full extent of such loss due to restricted access. This ongoing conflict has resulted in significant human suffering and loss on multiple fronts, underscoring the gravity of the situation in Ukraine.