Ukraine’s president says 31,000 soldiers have died in the two-year war with Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has disclosed that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the war with Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. He made the announcement in a televised address on Friday, as he appealed to the US and other Western allies to approve more weapons and aid for his country.
Zelenskyy said the death toll was lower than the figures claimed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said earlier this week that Ukraine had lost between 150,000 and 300,000 soldiers in the conflict. Zelenskyy called Putin’s numbers “a lie” and “a provocation” aimed at demoralizing the Ukrainian people and the international community.
Zelenskyy also acknowledged the heavy civilian casualties in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk, where he said more than 10,000 people have been killed and over a million have been displaced by the Russian aggression. He said Ukraine was doing everything possible to protect its citizens and restore its territorial integrity, but it needed more support from its partners.
Russia launches all-out attack on Ukraine by land, air and sea
Zelenskyy’s address came as Russia intensified its military offensive against Ukraine, launching an all-out attack by land, air and sea. The attacks began on Thursday, after Putin said he had approved a “special military operation” to “liberate” the eastern regions of Ukraine from the “fascist junta” in Kyiv.
According to the Ukrainian military, Russian forces have captured several strategic towns and villages along the front line, including Avdiivka, a key industrial town that had been under siege for months. Russia has also been launching attacks on the southern Zaporizhzhia region, where Ukraine had made some gains during its counter-offensive in 2023.
Ukraine has been resisting the Russian onslaught with its limited resources, relying on weapons and supplies from the US and other Western allies. However, the provision of Western aid has been faltering in recent weeks, amid reports of Russian shortages of ammunition and fuel. Ukraine has also been targeting the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, claiming to have sunk several ships, including the amphibious vessel Caesar Kunikov.
International community condemns Russia’s invasion and calls for dialogue
The international community has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called for an immediate end to the hostilities. The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Thursday, where the US, the UK, France and other countries accused Russia of violating Ukraine’s sovereignty and international law. They also urged Russia to engage in dialogue with Ukraine and respect the 2015 Minsk agreements, which aimed to end the conflict peacefully.
However, Russia has rejected the accusations and the calls for dialogue, saying it was acting in self-defense and in response to Ukraine’s “genocide” of the Russian-speaking population in the east. Russia has also blamed the West for provoking the crisis by supporting Ukraine’s “illegal” government and providing it with lethal weapons. Russia has also vetoed several resolutions on Ukraine at the Security Council, blocking any meaningful action by the UN.
The war in Ukraine is the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II and the worst crisis in relations between Russia and the West since the Cold War. The war has claimed more than 40,000 lives, displaced millions of people and threatened the security and stability of the region and the world.
