At least 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, a senior official said. Last June, the official said that between 100 and 200 Ukrainian soldiers die every day. The official Ukrainian army did not confirm the words
Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said that between 10,000 and 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the war. Neither Ukraine nor Russia tends to release casualty figures, and Podoliak’s words have not been confirmed by the Ukrainian military.
In June he said that between 100 and 200 Ukrainian soldiers were dying every day. Last month, the top US general, Mark Miley, said about 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed or wounded since the war began.
In a speech this week, the head of the European Union Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed. However, a spokesperson for the European Union Commission later clarified that this was a mistake, and the figure referred to both the dead and the injured.
In an interview with Ukrainian media, Podoliak said: “We have official estimates from the General Staff, and they range between 10,000 dead, but it could reach 12,500-13,000 dead,” he said.
He added that the number of civilians killed may be significant. The BBC identified and verified around 3,600 civilian deaths as of mid-June, now the figure is expected to be much higher.
Ms. von der Leyen said that 20,000 Ukrainian citizens were killed. Although that number was not verified by the EU Commission, it was removed from later versions of the announcement along with the claim that 100,000 soldiers were killed, the BBC reported.
Mr Podoliak also said that up to 100,000 Russian soldiers had been killed since the invasion began on February 24, and that another 100,000 to 150,000 had been wounded, were missing or could not return to combat. The BBC’s Russia Department has found that at least 9,311 Russian soldiers of all ranks have been killed since the February 24 invasion, while the true death toll may be more than 18,600.