Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had died in the war against Russia.
It has been a year since Volodymyr Zelensky released an official death toll for the Ukrainian military in Russia’s now two-year war of aggression.
At the same time, Zelensky said he could not say how many were injured or missing because it could help Russia’s military planning.
– 31 000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in this war. Not 300 000, not 150 000. Putin is lying on this point. “But no matter, it’s a big loss for us,” said Zelensky.
He said he didn’t know exactly how many civilians lost their lives in the war.
Over a year since the last news of the fallen
According to the Ukrainian Kyiv Independent, this is the first time that Zelensky himself has spoken about how many soldiers died in the war.
Ukraine has not released figures on the number of soldiers killed since late 2022, when presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoljak said 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since the invasion began on February 24.
The death toll could not be confirmed by independent sources.
Russia does not disclose how many Russian soldiers have died but considers it a military secret. According to the Meduza news site, at least 75,000 Russian soldiers died in the offensive war.
Plans for a counteroffensive were leaked to Russia
According to Zelensky, Russia will launch another offensive at the end of May or during the summer.
– We will prepare for their attack.
Zelensky also said plans for a Ukrainian counteroffensive last year were leaked to Russia before Ukraine could act.
– Our plans for a counteroffensive ended up on the Kremlin’s table before their implementation could begin.
Now the threat of leaks is being taken into account and the Ukrainian military is said to have drawn up several different plans for the country’s warfare. There is currently “a clear plan” for an offensive, but Ukraine does not want to make any details public.
Source: Reuters, AFP
