After Ukrainian officials rebuked the European Union for claiming 100,000 Ukrainian troops had died in the war with Russia, Kyiv said that up to 13,000 of its soldiers had been lost in the last nine months of conflict.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told Channel 24 on Friday: "We have official estimates of the General Staff, there are official estimates mentioned by the commander-in-chief. And they lie between 10,000 and 12,500-13,000 deaths."
On Wednesday, Ukraine hit back at a claim by the European Commission's [resident that 100,000 of Kyiv's troops had been killed since Russia invaded on February 24. In a video address, Ursula von der Leyen made the comment about the death toll, prompting the Ukrainian military to say that the death toll was "classified information." The Commission then scrambled to edit von der Leyen's speech to omit the toll reference.
Von der Leyen said more than 20,000 civilians had died since the beginning of the war, and that damage to Ukraine is estimated to be in the region of €600bn ($628bn).
Podolyak said that the 100,000 number was false.
"That is why they deleted this video, took these numbers out," he said.
He added that the number of civilians who had been killed in Ukraine amounted to more than 20,000.
In many of its attacks on Ukraine, Russia has been purposefully bombing civilian areas, as well as critical energy infrastructure, in an attempt to shatter Kyiv's resolve.
In its daily update on Russian casualties Friday, Ukraine's defense ministry reported that around 90,090 Russian military personnel had been killed since the start of the war, including 650 in the last day. It claimed that 2,916 Russian tanks had been abandoned, seized or destroyed by Ukrainian personnel. In its daily updates, the ministry does not include the Ukrainian death toll.
Russia also tends not to release casualty figures.
In November, Mark Milley, the most senior U.S. General, said around 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed or wounded since the start of the war. A spokesperson for the EU Commission later clarified that Von der Leyen's numbers, like Milley's, were meant to reflect both the dead and the injured.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment on the casualty numbers.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian embassies across Europe reported receiving exploding letters and other packages with animal eyes in.
Meanwhile, in a press conference with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Thursday at the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden said that he was prepared to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree an end to the war.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Dutton is a Newsweek Reporter based in Cape Town, South Africa. His focus is reporting on global politics and ... Read more
