About 9,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the war with Russia, the head of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Monday.
The number given by General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi appears to be the first number provided by Ukraine’s top military since the February 24 invasion of Russia.
At a conference to honor military veterans and the families of the deceased, Zaluzhnyi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that children need protection in various parts of the country, including the capital, Kyiv.
“They really don’t understand what’s going on and they definitely need protection…because their father went to the front and is probably among the nearly 9,000 heroes killed,” he said.
Zaluzhnyi did not elaborate and did not say whether the number he cited includes all personnel killed in actions such as border guards. About 1 million people defend Ukraine as part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces or other services, President Volodymr Zelenkskiy said at the conference.
Zaluzhnyi did not say how many civilians were killed in the fighting or how many Russians were killed, according to Kyiv estimates, but the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces gave the Russian military death toll at 45,400. Russia did not say how many of its soldiers were killed.
Reuters was unable to confirm losses suffered by both sides during the operation, which Russia said was a “special military operation” to demilitarize its smaller neighbor and protect Russian-speaking communities. Ukraine and its Western supporters accuse Moscow of waging an imperial-style war of conquest.
source: Noticias
