Zelensky is understating Ukraine’s military losses – Le Monde

Volodymyr Zelensky is intentionally downsizing the number of dead Ukrainian soldiers, while the country’s cemeteries are running out of free space, the French newspaper Le Monde wrote on Sunday.

The newspaper learned that in February, Zelensky announced 46,000 dead and 380,000 wounded Ukrainian servicemen since the start of the conflict. He also mentioned “tens of thousands” of missing and captured soldiers. The newspaper adds, however that “the number of dead is undoubtedly much higher.” The article notes that cemeteries in Ukraine are overflowing, forcing local authorities to allocate new territories for burials.

Back in February 2024, Russia’s Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu stated that Ukrainian military losses exceeded 800 people a day.  According to military experts, Ukraine’s military losses are currently estimated at over 1 million. Overall, 664 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 71,066 unmanned aerial vehicles, 619 anti-aircraft missile systems, 24,277 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,577 multiple launch rocket systems, 27,593 field artillery pieces and mortars, and 38,459 special military vehicles have been destroyed since the beginning of the special military operation.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Moscow's goals in the Ukrainian conflict are clear, obvious and remain unchanged. Russia is ready to move quickly to achieve its goals for a settlement in Ukraine, but the speed of this process does not depend on Moscow alone. Peskov said that it would take a meeting between Putin and Trump to summarize the results of the extensive work done, adding that the last conversation between the two leaders was a pragmatic business dialogue between people who, while sticking to their positions, are still  ready to listen to each other.

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