Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died in the war against Russia. The figure includes both career military and mobilized personnel. A "large number" remain listed as missing, he added in an interview with France 2.
The disclosure comes just days before the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion. It also arrives as ceasefire talks in Abu Dhabi enter their most delicate phase. Zelenskyy has made major casualty disclosures roughly annually: 31,000 dead in February 2024, over 46,000 in February 2025, and now 55,000.
But outside estimates are far higher. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington estimated in late January that between 100,000 and 140,000 Ukrainian soldiers died since February 2022. Total military casualties—killed, wounded, and missing—reach 500,000 to 600,000, according to the same report.
"In Ukraine, officially, on the battlefield, the number of soldiers killed—whether career soldiers or mobilized—is 55,000. [We can add to this] a large number of people whom Ukraine considers to be missing." — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, France 2 interview
The gap between official and independent counts
The gap between Kyiv's figures and outside estimates is not new. In October 2024, US intelligence estimated over 57,500 Ukrainian soldiers killed.
The Economist drew on leaked intelligence reports, defense officials, and trackers like the UALosses database. It placed the range at 60,000 to 100,000 dead as of late 2024.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian military journalist Yuriy Butusov claimed the General Staff told the commander-in-chief in December 2024 that 105,000 troops were dead or missing. Of those, 70,000 died and 35,000 remain unaccounted for.
Russia's losses dwarf Ukraine's
Moscow's toll is far larger. The CSIS report put Russian casualties at 1.2 million through December 2025. That includes up to 325,000 killed—more than any major power lost in any war since World War II.
British defence intelligence put the total at 1.1 million by October 2025.
The independent Russian outlet Mediazona, together with BBC Russian Service, confirmed over 168,000 individual Russian deaths by name as of late January 2026.
CSIS estimates the casualty ratio at roughly 2.5:1 in Ukraine's favor. But Russia has more than three times Ukraine's population. It also recruits 30,000 troops every month. More than 0.5% of Ukraine's pre-war fighting-age male population died in the war, according to The Economist.
What else Zelenskyy said
In the same interview, Zelenskyy called Moscow's so-called "compromise" an "ultimatum from the Kremlin." Russia "wants to inflict more suffering on Ukrainians" to force acceptance, he said. The more Russia kills civilians, the further it pushes any real deal away.
He warned that defeat would mean the end of Ukraine's independence. But he insisted: "I am sure that it won't happen."
The interview aired as the trilateral talks resumed in Abu Dhabi. Territorial withdrawal demands sat at the center of negotiations.
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