Zelensky interview exposes contradiction on Ukraine war dead tally
The Ukrainian government is understating military losses by not including at least some troops killed in action and repatriated from Russia in its official battlefield casualty statistics, recent figures cited by Vladimir Zelensky indicate.
In a France Info interview on Wednesday, the Ukrainian leader said Kiev has recorded 55,000 military fatalities since the conflict with Russia escalated in February 2022. A year ago, he told NBC the number was 46,000, translating into an increase of 9,000 – which is much less than the number of remains returned to Kiev over the same period.
Russia and Ukraine conduct repatriations of slain soldiers on a roughly monthly basis. Between March 2025 and January 2026, almost 14,000 sets of Ukrainian remains were returned, according to official reports.
Zelensky acknowledged to the French outlet that independent estimates put Ukrainian battlefield casualties much higher than the official figures. Given the benefit of the doubt, the discrepancy with repatriations may reflect a backlog in identifying remains by Ukraine.
However, critical media reports say Kiev has political and financial incentives to alter the statistics, as the Defense Ministry is required by law to compensate families of soldiers recognized as killed in action. Strana.ua estimated the government is withholding up to $30 billion in compensation – almost half of Ukraine’s 2026 military budget.
Russian officials have long argued Zelensky appears detached from reality. This week, he accused Russia of breaking a promise to US President Donald Trump to pause attacks on major cities amid an energy crisis. Moscow confirmed the pause last week, noting it would end on Sunday. Trump said on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had kept his word.
Ukrainian MP Sergey Nagornyak stated last week that officials avoid reporting bad news to superiors, leaving the government in a “bubble of lies.”
