By: The Trek News Desk
Ukraine has suffered severe human losses in its prolonged war with Russia. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly acknowledged for the first time that nearly 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed on the battlefield so far. At the same time, a significant number of service members are still listed as missing.
The Ukrainian president made these remarks during a pre-recorded interview with a French television channel, which was aired on Wednesday. His statement comes as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches its fourth year and as critical US-brokered ceasefire discussions continue in Abu Dhabi.
“Officially, Ukraine has lost 55,000 soldiers killed in combat, whether professional troops or conscripts,” Zelenskyy said. He further noted that, in addition to those killed, a “large number” of people remain missing, though he did not provide an exact figure.
Earlier, in February 2025, Zelenskyy had told a US television network that more than 46,000 Ukrainian troops had died in the war. Meanwhile, the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies estimates that by mid-2025, around 400,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed or wounded since the conflict began.
Civilian casualties have also continued to rise. According to a recent report by the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Russian attacks in 2025 alone killed 2,514 civilians and injured 12,142 others, marking an increase of nearly one-third compared to 2024.
Russia, too, has reportedly suffered heavy losses. Ukraine’s top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated that in 2025 alone, nearly 420,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded. British defence intelligence has estimated that by October 2025, total Russian military casualties in the war had reached approximately 1.1 million.
However, analysts caution that both sides are likely understating their own losses while exaggerating those of their opponent.
Amid these developments, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Russia would continue its military campaign until Kyiv takes what Moscow calls the necessary “decisions” to end the war. At the same time, Ukrainian officials described the first day of renewed US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi as “productive,” according to Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has been pressing both Moscow and Kyiv to reach a compromise, but major disagreements persist. Russia is demanding that Ukraine withdraw its forces from territories it still controls, particularly in the Donbas region, and the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remains one of the most contentious issues.
Ukraine has firmly rejected any unilateral troop withdrawal and insists that the conflict should be frozen along the current front lines.
At present, Russian forces occupy about 20 per cent of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea and large parts of eastern Donbas. With both sides holding rigid positions, the path toward a ceasefire remains uncertain, and the prospect of a lasting peace agreement appears distant.
Source: News Agencies
