Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in action in the two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
Zelensky said that the number was far lower than estimates given by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government.
He said at the Ukraine Year forum in Kyiv: “31,000 Ukrainian military personnel have been killed in this war. Not 300,000, not 150,000, not whatever Putin and his deceitful circle have been lying about.
“But nevertheless, each of these losses is a great sacrifice for us.”The Ukrainian leader said that he wouldn’t disclose the number of troops that were wounded or missing.
He also said that “tens of thousands of civilians” had been killed in occupied areas of Ukraine, but said that no exact figures would be available until the war was over.
“We don’t know how many of our civilians they killed. We don’t,” he said.
It comes as the president urged the US to approve their aid package within a month after reports of significant delays to arms deliveries.