FACT-CHECK: Zelensky’s Casualty Claims vs Reality
15:08 05.02.2026 (Updated: 15:39 05.02.2026)
© telegram sputnik_africa
/ Subscribe
FACT-CHECK: Zelensky’s casualty claims vs reality
Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky told France 2 that 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the start of the conflict.
Why this number looks implausibly low
Force size: In 2022, Zelensky himself said the Ukrainian army numbered 800,000.
Mobilization rate: Ukraine has mobilized at least 30,000 people per month for nearly four years — that’s about 1.44 million additional troops.
No demobilization: Unlike Russia, Ukraine does not rotate or demobilize units – except for the severely wounded.
Simple arithmetic: The Ukrainian armed forces should number around 2.5 million by now – but they don’t. So where did everyone go?
Other estimates
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in December 2025 that, based on multiple independent estimates, Ukrainian losses long ago exceeded one million.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said almost 500,000 Ukrainian troops were killed or injured in 2025 alone, exhausting Kiev’s mobilization capacity.
In November 2025, Vladimir Putin said Ukraine lost 47,500 soldiers in October alone.
In August 2025, Hacker group KillNet claimed access to Ukrainian military cloud data indicating at least 1.7 million killed or missing.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly referred to millions of dead in the conflict.
Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky told France 2 that 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the start of the conflict.
Why this number looks implausibly low
Force size: In 2022, Zelensky himself said the Ukrainian army numbered 800,000.
Mobilization rate: Ukraine has mobilized at least 30,000 people per month for nearly four years — that’s about 1.44 million additional troops.
No demobilization: Unlike Russia, Ukraine does not rotate or demobilize units – except for the severely wounded.
Simple arithmetic: The Ukrainian armed forces should number around 2.5 million by now – but they don’t. So where did everyone go?
Other estimates
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in December 2025 that, based on multiple independent estimates, Ukrainian losses long ago exceeded one million.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said almost 500,000 Ukrainian troops were killed or injured in 2025 alone, exhausting Kiev’s mobilization capacity.
In November 2025, Vladimir Putin said Ukraine lost 47,500 soldiers in October alone.
In August 2025, Hacker group KillNet claimed access to Ukrainian military cloud data indicating at least 1.7 million killed or missing.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly referred to millions of dead in the conflict.
