Ukrainian troops lost in war vs Russians — huge discrepancy laid bare in charts

16-year-old boy’s shouts ‘Glory to Ukraine’ before death

Far beyond the battlefields of eastern Ukraine, an information war for control over the narrative rages.

Both Kyiv and Moscow are keen to amplify the other’s casualties while downplaying their losses.

This has made a true count of the dead and wounded extremely difficult to establish, after just over 500 days of fighting.

The Ukrainian military runs a tight ship when it comes to journalists reporting from the frontline, while those documenting losses in Russia face harassment and criminal charges.

Express.co.uk has drawn together the latest from a variety of sources.

READ MORE: Desperate Putin to face military coup if he unleashes nukes in Ukraine

Belligerents’ claims

The human cost of war is typically measured in casualties, which lumps together all combatants either killed or injured.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence instead suggests their forces have “liquidated” – seemingly suggesting fatalities only – around 235,020 enemies from February 24, 2022, to Tuesday.

The last time a Ukrainian official put a figure on their own losses was December. Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak then said up to 13,000 of their troops had been killed.

Precise Russian estimates of the damage they are inflicting are harder to come by. On June 16, however, speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Vladimir Putin claimed Ukrainian casualties were “very high, even more than ten to one compared to the Russian army.” He qualified the statement with: “This is fact.”

Last September, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu admitted 5,937 Russian soldiers had died since the start of the invasion. No one in Moscow has made a similar revelation since.

Don’t miss…
Sunak insists Ukraine belongs in NATO and urges leaders to ‘make progress'[REPORT]
Putin humiliated as Russia ‘almost certainly struggling’ with medical provision[INSIGHT]
Farage’s bombshell NATO warning – Biden wants to force the UK to join an EU army[REVEAL]

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Outside estimates

Observers from overseas, although lacking firsthand evidence from the ground, tend to offer more sober assessments.

A document from the US Defense Intelligence Agency leaked in April estimated between 154,000 and 180,000 Russian soldiers had been wounded, and a further 35,500 to 43,000 killed in action.

The same intel – entitled “Russia/Ukraine – Assessed Combat Sustainability and Attrition” – suggested Ukraine had suffered 109,000 to 131,000 injured to between 15,500 and 17,500 dead.

An investigative partnership between Russian independent news outlets MediaZona and Meduza put the Kremlin death toll at nearly 50,000, looking at excess inheritance cases filed with the authorities.

Civilian overview

The UN has been keeping track of civilian casualties since the beginning. As of its latest monthly update on June 19, the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine had confirmed over 25,000 cases.

Noel Calhoun, deputy head of the Mission, said: “Today we mark another grim milestone in the war that continues to exact a horrific toll on Ukraine’s civilians.”

A total of 15,993 non-combatants were recorded as injured and 9,177 more as killed.

According to Ukraine’s Office of Prosecutor General, 494 children were among the dead in the first 500 days of the war, and 1,545 had been harmed in some way.

Source: Read Full Article