OAN’s Abril Elfi
9:59 AM – Sunday, February 25, 2024
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that 31,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed since Russia began its full-scale invasion.
On Sunday, Zelenskyy spoke at the “Ukraine Year 2024” forum in Kyiv, where he stated that the number was much lower than projections made by the administration of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“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.
He continued, saying that he would not reveal the quantity of soldiers hurt or reported missing. Additionally, he claimed that “tens of thousands of civilians” had perished in Ukrainian territory that was under occupation, but he added that precise numbers would not be known until the conflict was over.
“We don’t know how many of our civilians they killed. We don’t,” he said.
For the first time since the commencement of Russia’s full-scale war on February 24th, 2022, Kyiv has disclosed the precise number of its losses.
According to the Defense Ministry’s most recent data, just over 6,000 people were killed, which was released in January 2023. However, reports from American and British officials place the death toll much higher.
A declassified U.S. intelligence report released in mid-December 2023 stated that 315,000 Russian soldiers were believed to have died or been injured in Ukraine. According to the report, if the figure is accurate, it would represent 87% of the approximately 360,000 troops Russia had prior to the war.
Independent Russian news source Mediazona stated that roughly 75,000 Russian men lost their lives in combat in 2022 and 2023.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts