President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that more than 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion two years ago. This was Zelensky’s first release in over a year of public casualty figures since the conflict began, which has brought about accusations of violations of international law.
According to a press conference video posted by Reuters, Zelensky stated that not 300,000, not 150,000 but 31,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed in this war. “Putin is lying there… But nevertheless, this is a big loss for us,” he said. This number is in addition to the tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians killed during Russia’s invasion, reported by the UN. Zelensky did not disclose the number of wounded soldiers due to security concerns.
Last week, Ukraine’s Security Services, with the assistance of prosecutors in the Donetsk region, opened another war crimes investigation into the Russian Federation. That followed reports of Russian troops executing six unarmed Ukrainian soldiers.
Putin, meanwhile, has faced persistent allegations of violating international law and increasing domestic pressure during the ongoing conflict, due to the large number of Russian casualties. This pressure was only amplified after the controversial death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison, which sparked mass protests across Russia and brought about international condemnation.
Various countries have moved to sustain Ukraine’s efforts to resist Russian occupation through funding and military weaponry. Despite this, conservatives in the US have questioned this support.