Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in action in the two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in action in the two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

Zelenskyy said that the number was far lower than estimates given by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government.

“31,000 Ukrainian military personnel have been killed in this war. Not 300,000, not 150,000, not whatever Putin and his deceitful circle have been lying about. But nevertheless, each of these losses is a great sacrifice for us”, Zelenskyy said at the “Ukraine. Year 2024” forum in Kyiv.

The Ukrainian leader said that he wouldn’t disclose the number of troops that were wounded or missing. He also said that “tens of thousands of civilians” had been killed in occupied areas of Ukraine, but said that no exact figures would be available until the war was over.

  • resetbypeer@lemmy.worldEnglish
    506·
    9 months ago

    Both sides will never say the exact numbers. That’s how this goes. It’s in both interest that actual numbers stay as secret as possible. But I do think that Russian losses are in the 1 to 3 or 1 to 5 range, in Ukraine’s favor, just because the meat grind attacks in Adiivka and Bachmut alone.

    EDIT: clarifying the numbers

    • nexusband@lemmy.worldEnglish
      172·
      9 months ago

      400k Russians are not in the fight anymore. That number has been confirmed. Even doubling the Ukrainian numbers makes this whole thing utterly staggering…that would be 1 to 6. But the 31k? 1 to 12…12!! For every dead Ukrainian, Russia pays with 12 of their own…

      • The_v@lemmy.worldEnglish
        16·
        9 months ago

        I have a hard time doubting Ukraines estimated Russian casualties.

        They have posted video after video of Russia assaults with 5-8 APC’s with a tank or two being absolutely demolished.

        I wonder what the life expectancy of fresh troops are now. I doubt they can get experienced troops to leave their trenches and rear positions. So you know it’s some conscript from a remote impoverished town being sent in meat waves to the front.

        • nexusband@lemmy.worldEnglish
          5·
          9 months ago

          Same, I have a very hard time as well doubting those. Let alone for the fact, that being on the defensive will always help, home turf and all as well, all those tanks not killing their crew instead of the russian wannabe space-turrets.

          Another point of how badly the Russians are doing is how fiercely their propaganda is trying to spin them being the best and Ukraine having already lost. Noticed the uptick of that shit in the last days pretty significantly…

        • _xDEADBEEF@lemm.eeEnglish
          1·
          9 months ago

          yeah, at the first attempts of encircling avdiivka, with literal meatgrinding tactics (mtlbs dropping troops into the middle of if russian bodies and then running over them, repeatedly), it made it pretty obvious the russian army really don’t give a fuck about their troops. Maybe not as bad as wagner but on a larger scale.

    • cybersandwich@lemmy.worldEnglish
      12·
      9 months ago

      As Churchill said, “In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies”

      Neither side is giving accurate information.