Ukraine presidential advisor says 13,000 soldiers killed since Feb 24
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The advisor's statement comes in the aftermath of EU Chief Ursula von der Leyen saying 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the Ukraine war.
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Ukrainian Presidential Advisor, Mykhailo Podolyak
Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak announced Thursday that Ukraine, since the start of the war, has lost between 10,000 to 13,000 soldiers.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday said during a press conference that "more than 20,000 civilians and more than 100,000 Ukrainian military officers have been killed so far." Interestingly, the numbers were edited out from both the video and the statement later on in the day.
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Dana Spinant, European Commission deputy chief spokesperson, offered an explanation later on that the previous version was not accurate because the estimation should refer to those killed and injured.
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Quite a big number.
"Regarding Ukraine's losses: undoubtedly, Mrs. Ursula was mistaken - this is obvious. That is why they removed this video, removed these figures. Because we have the official estimates of the General Staff, which the commander-in-chief provides. They range from 10,000 to 12,500-13,000 dead," Podolyak said in an appearance on Ukrainian television.
In November, Sergei Surovikin, the general in charge of the Russian war in Ukraine, said that the Ukrainian military lost over 12,000 soldiers in October only. In September, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that more than 61,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed, and some 49,000 troops were injured.
This would not be the first time a discrepancy in the numbers is noted.
In March, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that around 14,000 Ukrainian troops were killed and 16,000 were injured. Within that timeframe, Russian numbers have drastically differed from the Ukraine's. In March, Kiev claimed that "around 16,000 Russian soldiers have been killed, with hundreds of tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery pieces destroyed."
