(MENAFN) President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has officially revealed that approximately 31,000 Ukrainian military personnel have been killed in the two-year conflict with Russian forces. In a speech delivered on Sunday in the capital, Zelensky disputed higher casualty estimates, emphasizing that each loss represents a significant sacrifice for Ukraine. This announcement marks the first time the Kiev regime has provided an official casualty figure since the conflict began in February 2022.
Zelensky did not provide estimates for the number of Ukrainian soldiers who were wounded or missing. Additionally, he mentioned "tens of thousands" of civilian deaths in areas occupied by Russian forces but acknowledged the lack of precise figures. The disclosure comes as Russian estimates, released last month, indicated Ukrainian troop losses of around 400,000, with over 215,000 in 2023 alone. The Russian military reportedly inflicted over 1,500 casualties on Ukrainian troops while liberating the key Donbass stronghold of Avdeevka last weekend.
The official figure disclosed by Zelensky contradicts previous estimates by both Russian and United States officials. The Russian Defense Ministry had estimated higher Ukrainian troop losses, while unnamed United States officials suggested last August that approximately 70,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed, with up to 120,000 wounded. The disclosure of the casualty count adds a new layer of complexity to the ongoing conflict, highlighting the human toll and the challenges in accurately assessing the scale of the war.
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