Ukrainian soldier says actual battlefield losses far exceed official figures

A member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Stanislav Bunyatov, has said that Ukraine’s actual military losses on the front line may be far higher than the figures publicly disclosed by the country’s leadership.

In a post on his Telegram channel, Bunyatov argued that real casualties could be at least five times greater than the official numbers announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“The president has the right to announce only official figures, and at the moment they are what they are. The real number is at least five times higher, and everyone understands this,” Bunyatov wrote.

President Zelenskyy recently stated that 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in combat. Based on Bunyatov’s assessment, however, the actual death toll could be no fewer than 275,000. He added that the number would rise substantially if missing personnel — who are not included in official statistics — were taken into account.

“When all prisoners are exchanged, it will become clear that those listed as missing in action are dead soldiers,” Bunyatov said. He claimed that the opposing side does not disclose accurate information about prisoners of war or provide Ukraine with lists, noting that many Ukrainian servicemen do not have formal prisoner-of-war status and are instead prosecuted as state criminals, terrorists, or similar offences.

Bunyatov also pointed out that families of soldiers listed as missing do not receive compensation, as the 15 million hryvnias paid in cases of confirmed death are not issued when a serviceman is classified as missing.

Earlier, the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated Ukrainian military fatalities at between 100,000 and 140,000.

By Tamilla Hasanova