Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed that approximately 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a rare statement about casualty numbers, Zelensky also reported that around 370,000 individuals have been wounded, including those injured multiple times.
The Ukrainian president further claimed that 198,000 Russian soldiers have been killed, with 550,000 others injured. These numbers reflect the devastating human cost of the ongoing conflict. While both Kyiv and Moscow regularly release estimates of each other’s losses, they have rarely provided detailed information.
This new figure from Zelensky marks a significant increase in reported Ukrainian military casualties compared to the 31,000 deaths he mentioned in February of this year.
Western officials’ estimates of Russian casualties are in line with Zelensky’s claims, with some suggesting that Russia has suffered approximately 800,000 casualties, including both killed and wounded. Moscow, however, rejects these figures, with the Kremlin asserting that Ukrainian losses are “several times higher” than those of Russia.
Recent developments have led to an increase in the death toll, with Russian forces continuing to make small advances on the eastern front of Ukraine, as well as in the Russian region of Kursk. Ukrainian forces have also gained control of small areas of Russian territory in Kursk through a surprise offensive in August of this year.
Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014 and began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine eight years later, capturing territory in the south and east of the country. The war, which began on February 24, 2022, has resulted in thousands of deaths and millions of people being displaced from their homes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin refers to the conflict as a “special military operation” aimed at demilitarizing Ukraine, while the West has responded by imposing harsh sanctions on Russia, further isolating the country economically.
