War

Russian losses KIA 14 times higher than Ukraine's, Zelensky says

2 min read
Russian losses KIA 14 times higher than Ukraine's, Zelensky says
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky takes part in a summit of the Coalition of the Willing to support Ukraine at the Hotel des Invalides in Paris on July 13, 2026. (Teresa Suarez / POOL / AFP / Getty Images)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed new estimates of military casualties on both sides of Russia’s full-scale war, saying that around 50,000 Ukrainian service members had been killed and approximately 400,000 wounded.

Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Zelensky added that many Ukrainian troops remained missing in action.

"It's difficult to say. I don't want to be very open about it because Russia will understand what's going on with our army," Zelensky said.

Zelensky also estimated that Russian forces had suffered around 1.6 million military casualties since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, including approximately 700,000 killed.

The latest Ukrainian death toll cited by Zelensky is lower than the figure he gave five months earlier. In February, he said that at least 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been officially confirmed killed on the battlefield.

The true scale of military losses is difficult to determine because neither Ukraine nor Russia discloses complete figures.

According to the latest study by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Russia suffered an estimated 1.4 million battlefield casualties between February 2022 and June 2026, including up to 450,000 troops killed.

In addition, Russia’s monthly losses in 2026 significantly exceeded the number of new troops it recruited.

The study also estimated Ukraine's losses at between 525,000 and 625,000 casualties, including between 125,000 and 150,000 troops killed.

Combined military casualties on both sides exceeded 2 million, according to CSIS.

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Tania Myronyshena

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Tania Myronyshena is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. She has written for outlets such as United24 Media, Ukrainer, Wonderzine, as well as for PEN Ukraine, a Ukrainian non-governmental organization. Before joining the Kyiv Independent, she worked as a freelance journalist with a focus on cultural narratives and human stories. Tania holds a B.A. in publishing and editing from Borys Hrinchenko Kyiv University.

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