Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Western media has exaggerated the number of Ukrainian military casualties.
Zelenskyy was speaking to Kyodo News and told them that reports of 80,000 deaths were not true. He said the actual number is much lower but did not give a specific figure.
The president explained that Ukraine does not have complete information about losses in Russian-occupied areas. This includes civilians, military personnel, law enforcement officers, and local authorities. “I don’t know how many have died or been lost,” he said. Zelenskyy only knows about the military casualties on Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Estimates by The Economist suggest that Ukraine has likely lost between 60,000 to 100,000 soldiers since Russia’s full-scale assault in February 2022. Another 400,000 have been severely injured.
Earlier this month, Zelenskyy revealed that Ukraine had lost 31,000 soldiers since February 2022.