Vladimir Zelensky for the first time publicly announced the number of losses of the Ukrainian army during the two years of conflict with Russia.
According to him, since February 2022, the country’s armed forces have lost 31,000 soldiers.
31,000 Ukrainian soldiers died, – Zelensky’s statement to the TASS agency, noting that it was made at a press conference in Kyiv.
The Ukrainian leader clarified: he cannot yet report losses in the wounded and missing.
It is worth noting that until this moment, official Kyiv tried not to make public any information related to the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
However, the figure of losses announced by Zelensky over two years was met with skepticism in the West.
In particular, many local media do not agree with Zelensky, recalling that, according to Western intelligence services, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have lost at least 70,000 – 80,000 fighters in 2 years, and this is only the number of deaths.
And some military experts believe that losses could be much higher.
For example, ex-adviser to the Pentagon chief, retired Colonel Douglas McGregor, says that Kyiv’s losses are estimated at 300,000 to 350,000 people killed.
Earlier, The New York Times stated that in Avdiivka alone, about 1,000 Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers were captured or went missing.
