Ukraine gives new estimate of its military losses

A store destroyed a day earlier in Kherson, southern Ukraine, this Friday, November 25, 2022. AP - Bernat Armangue

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The Ukrainian executive intervened this Thursday, December 1 after statements the day before by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen who had estimated the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed since the start of the war at 100,000.

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More than 20,000 Ukrainian civilians and more than 100,000 military personnel have been killed since the invasion of Ukraine began in February, Ursula von der Leyen said.

Imprecise estimates that Bohdan Senyk, the director of communication of the Ukrainian army, had not commented on.

The Ukrainian losses were classified information, subject to restrictions, reports our correspondent in Kyiv,

Volodymyr Zelensky's entourage is generally very keen to maintain a strategic silence around the number of Ukrainian casualties. 

However, this Thursday, December 1, Oleksiy Arestovych, a defense adviser to President Zelensky, said in an interview with Russian journalist Yulia Latynina that the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed was 10,000, eight times less than the number of Russian soldiers who died in battle.

A little later in the day, Mykhailo Podolyak, another adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, gave an estimate of 10 to 12,000 soldiers killed on the Ukrainian side.

At this stage, it is difficult to give an accurate count of casualties, both military and civilian.

Earlier in November, US General Mark Milley estimated that 100,000 Russian soldiers had been put out of action, both killed and wounded.

The senior US officer said he believed the Ukrainians may have suffered similar losses.

One thing is certain, in nine months, Russia's war in Ukraine is the deadliest conflict in such a period of time since the end of the Second World War.

► Also to listen: "My son is not cannon fodder": the revolt of the mothers of Russian soldiers

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