Ukrainian Deputy Defense Ministry responded to speculations in the media about alleged figures of Ukrainian military casualties, saying that these data are highly classified since the enemy can calculate further actions of the Ukrainian forces based on these data.
Referring to unnamed US officials, The New York Times earlier claimed that the Ukrainian figures are close to 70,000 killed and 100,000 to 120,000 wounded, while the Russian numbers are at 120,000 deaths and 170,000 to 180,000 injured troops.
"From time to time, foreign media publish information about the alleged number of our [soldiers killed in action]. So I will explain the situation once again. During martial law, this information is top-secret. Not because someone wants to hide something, but because it is a requirement of the military," she wrote on Telegram.
According to Maliar, the numbers of casualties are top-secret because during the hot phase of the war, "the enemy uses the number of KIA and WIA to calculate our likely further actions."
"In the art of war, certain actions depend on the percentage of dead and wounded in relation to the total number of military personnel. Accordingly, if these figures are known, the enemy can calculate our actions in advance. It is not only about the total number of killed and wounded, but also about the number of losses in specific units and areas. Especially during battles. If the enemy has this information, they will begin to understand some of our next steps," says Maliar.
In Ukraine, the information on the total KIA and WIA numbers is top-secret during martial law, accessible to a minimal number of persons duly warned of criminal liability for disclosure.
Read also:
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