31,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed in war with Russia, Zelenskyy gives out number for the first time

Ukraine’s war with Russia has completed two years and for the first time, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced the official figure of the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed on the battlefield since February 2022.

Ukraine has lost 31,000 soldiers, Zelenskyy said on Sunday. This figure has, however, been rejected by the Russian foreign ministry as being “untrue.”

Speaking in Kyiv, a day after the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion, Zelenskyy denied mentioning how many Ukrainian service personnel had been wounded. He instead said that giving out such details might help Moscow.

Meanwhile, US officials, as per a New York Times report from August 2023, put the Ukrainian death toll at close to 70,000 and as many as 120,000 Russian troops died during the war.

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“It’s not 300,000 or 150,000. Every casualty means a lot to us,” Zelenskyy said. The Ukrainian president put the number of Russian dead at 180,000 and said Russian casualties were 500,000 including the wounded.

Russia preparing for new offensive

Zelenskyy argued that Russia had so far not made a strategic breakthrough and predicted that Putin’s troops are preparing to launch a major offensive against Ukraine which is likely to be in May or summer. He admitted March and April would be “difficult”.

Russia began its counteroffensive in the east of the country last October, and its troops have been creeping forward ever since.

The Ukrainian president denied his country was facing its “weakest moment” and said the first months of the invasion when Russian forces threatened Kyiv, were worse.

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Ukraine needs right weapons

Zelenskyy said given the right weapons, Ukraine could also counterattack. He went on to say that an additional 10 US Patriot systems would radically change the situation and allow Ukraine to defend its lengthy frontline.

The president further said he was confident that the US Congress would approve a major new batch of military and financial assistance and that Ukraine needed that decision within a month.

He also said troop rotations would be critically important for the war effort and emphasised that Ukraine needed to prepare its reserve forces better.

‘Millions to die without US aid’

In an interview with CNN, Zelenskyy warned that US lawmakers’ failure to pass President Joe Biden’s $60 billion aid package would lead to the deaths of “millions” in Ukraine’s war with Russia.

When asked about his reaction to US Senator JD Vance’s comment that the outcome of the war would not change even after Ukraine receives the aid, Zelenskyy said, “To understand it is to come to the front line to see what’s going on, to speak with the people, then to go to civilians to understand … what will (happen to) them without this support. And he will understand that millions … will be killed. It’s a fact.”

He added, “Of course he doesn’t understand, God bless you don’t have the war on your territory.”

2024 ‘a turning point’

Zelenskyy described 2024 as “a turning point” for Ukraine. He said the outcome of US presidential election 2024 in November would be a key factor.

The Ukrainian president said if Donald Trump wins a second term in office, he is expected to pull the plug on aid to Kyiv.

“This year will define the format of the ending of the war,” Zelenskyy added.

Change in military leadership connected to ’new plan’

Zelenskyy said Ukraine had a clear plan to counter Russian forces, but that he would not disclose details that could compromise it.

“There is a plan, the plan is clear, I can’t tell you the details,” he said.

Zelenskyy, however, refused to say why he recently fired his commander in chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi. “It’s an internal matter,” he added.

The change in military leadership was connected to a “new plan”. Several different versions had been prepared because of information leaks, Zelenskyy said.

Kremlin murdered Alexei Navalny

Zelenskyy also described his counterpart Vladimir Putin and Russia as a “ring of inhumans”. The Kremlin had murdered the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, he claimed.