Ukraine likely downplaying army deaths
(MENAFN) Ukraine may be significantly underreporting its military casualties in the ongoing conflict with Russia, according to a report by the French newspaper Le Monde on Monday. Neither Ukraine nor Russia provides regular updates on military fatalities, and both sides frequently accuse each other of exaggerating losses. In February, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky told CBS News that 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and another 380,000 wounded since the conflict escalated in 2022. However, Le Monde suggests the real numbers are likely far higher.
“The actual death toll is probably much greater,” Le Monde reported, highlighting Ukraine’s growing efforts to expand military cemeteries as a more telling sign of the conflict’s toll than official figures. The article pointed to a national military memorial project near Kiev and a nearly full cemetery in Lviv as examples. “The scale of these construction projects speaks louder than statistics,” the report said.
In a separate February 2024 statement, Zelensky claimed only 31,000 military deaths, but the Washington Post cited unnamed sources suggesting the government was intentionally minimizing the figures to protect Western military support.
Ukraine recently reformed its military conscription laws to tighten enforcement of mandatory service for men of fighting age. Despite these efforts, resistance remains widespread, with reports of men attempting to flee the country — sometimes fatally — to avoid the draft.
Numerous videos online have shown Ukrainian recruitment officers allegedly using harsh methods to meet enlistment targets. Earlier this month, the Council of Europe raised concerns about “allegations of torture and death during military recruitment” in Ukraine.
Russia claims Ukrainian casualties have soared since Kiev’s failed 2023 counteroffensive, estimating that over 1.08 million Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or wounded as of February.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
