Commenting on the data on Ukraine's losses in the war published by The Wall Street Journal, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the real figure is "much lower," UNN reports citing Radio Liberty.
"80 thousand? That's a lie. The real figure is much lower than the one that was published. Significantly," he said during a conversation with journalists on September 20, according to a number of media outlets.
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On September 17, The Wall Street Journal stated that the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed since the beginning of the full-scale war in Russia is 80,000, and about 400,000 more people have been wounded.
The publication draws on unofficial estimates, including those of Western intelligence agencies, pointing out that it is difficult to determine the exact number of dead and wounded, as Russia and Ukraine refuse to release official data or have released figures that many do not trust.
Roman Kostenko, MP from the Golos party, secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, said on Radio Liberty that the WSJ data on 80,000 dead is overstated.
On February 25, 2024, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the number of Ukrainian military casualties for the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion: 31 thousand. At the same time, Zelensky said that he could not disclose how many wounded and missing Ukrainian soldiers there were.