Zelensky says 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed in war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
has stated that 31,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed since the Russian invasion began two years ago. This figure was disclosed during a press conference in Kyiv and marks the first official estimate of Ukraine’s military losses during the conflict. Zelensky's announcement aims to counter Russian claims of much higher Ukrainian casualties and to provide a more accurate account of the human cost to Ukraine.

The last time Ukraine publicly disclosed the number of troops lost in the fighting was in December 2022, when an adviser to Zelensky mentioned up to 13,000 troops had been killed. The figure provided by Zelensky could not be independently verified, and he declined to comment on the number of wounded or missing, suggesting that such information could help Russia gauge the number of Ukraine’s active forces. He also claimed that Russia had suffered 500,000 casualties, including 180,000 troops killed in action.

Zelensky also mentioned that "tens of thousands of civilians" had been killed in occupied areas of Ukraine, but exact figures would not be available until after the war. The Ukrainian leader emphasized the importance of foreign aid for Ukraine's victory and acknowledged that the next couple of months would be difficult as Russia plans to launch a new counteroffensive.

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