It’s said that the first casualty of war is truth. The following totals of Russia-Ukraine war losses all start from February 24, 2022.
Source: Ukrainian Memory Book – 35,000 regular Ukrainian military killed, 15,000 missing, 3,400 captured, up to 100,000 wounded, to Nov. 14, 2023.
Source: NATO estimates – 300,000+ regular Ukrainian military casualties, to Nov. 29, 2023.
Source: U.S. estimates – 120,000 regular Ukrainian military killed, 180,000 wounded, up to Aug. 18, 2023.
Source: UK estimates – 70,000 Russian military killed, 220,000 – 280,000 wounded, Nov 30, 2023.
Source: U.S. estimates – 315,000 Russian military casualties, to Dec. 11, 2023.
Source: Ukrainian government – 350,270 Russian military losses including 150 killed, to Dec 21, 2023.
Source: Russian estimates, BBC reported – 103,000+ Russian military killed, 206,000 wounded, to Dec. 21, 2023.
How wide is the gap between the Russian actual and what’s reported? In its investigation of the number of soldiers buried in Russia, the BBC has concluded that the Defence Ministry has been some 40% lower in their published count of the dead.
The Centre for Strategic and International Studies found that more Russian troops have died in the first year of the current war than the combined total in all of the other conflicts since WWII. This puts Russian losses for the first year at 25 times deadlier than in Chechnya and 35 times more than in Afghanistan.
Russian media is prohibited by law from assessing the veracity of official military counts of losses. It’s been decided that “revealing the number of military losses during a war or special military operation in a peaceful (sic.) period” can be classified as revealing secrets, which would be a crime.
We are willing to accept that both sides are promoting ‘facts’ and fiction that support their narrative, while obstructing contradictory claims. An appearance of progress must dominate to absolve them of any responsibility in loss of life and weaponry. A diplomatic solution is unacceptable, so both sides must raise the stakes to buttress public determination in this.
(Pikemalt saab lugeda Eesti Elu 5. jaanuari 2024 paber- või digilehest eestielu.ca)
