Key developments on Dec. 7-8:
- Ukraine has lost 43,000 soldiers in action since start of invasion, Zelensky says
- Russia claims control of village in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine has not confirmed capture
- Situation in Zaporizhzhia Oblast 'difficult,' but 'predicted,' Freedom of Russia Legion spokesperson says
- Ukrainian sea drones target Russian-occupied gas platforms in Crimea, Navy says
Ukraine has lost 43,000 soldiers on the battlefield since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in Feb. 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed in a rare statement on Ukrainian losses posted on X.
This figure contrasts a claim made earlier the same day on Dec. 8 by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who wrote on his Truth Social platform that Ukrainian military losses had reached "400,000 soldiers, and many more civilians."
In his post, Zelensky wrote that "Ukraine has lost 43,000 soldiers killed in action on the battlefield," adding that there have been "370,000 cases of medical assistance for the wounded," which includes light or repeat injuries.
It is unclear if Trump was referring to total casualties — soldiers killed and injured — in his Truth Social post.
Zelensky also noted that approximately half of the soldiers wounded in action later return to the battlefield. "This is a testament to the resilience of our Armed Forces and the effectiveness of our medical teams," Zelensky said.
"Since September this year, Russia has been losing troops on the battlefield at a ratio of 5-to-1, or even 6-to-1, compared to us," he added.
As of August, Russia's war has killed 11,743 civilians and injured 24,614, according to the UN, but the actual figures are likely much higher. A lack of access to Russian-occupied and front-line areas makes it nearly impossible to gather accurate casualty numbers.
The updated battlefield casualty figure provided by Zelensky reflects a rise from his February estimate of 31,000 total deaths.
Up until that moment, Ukraine had kept the number of troops killed a secret. Zelensky did not clarify at that time what the government's definition of a troop casualty was.
In recent months, Zelensky and other officials have actively addressed and refuted various claims regarding Ukrainian military losses.
In a Dec. 1 interview with Kyodo News, Zelensky rejected Western media reports suggesting that as many as 80,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in the ongoing war with Russia.
Similarly, Roman Kostenko, secretary of the parliamentary defense committee, dismissed the figure as "exaggerated" during an interview on Sept. 18, in response to a Wall Street Journal report citing the same number.
Asami Terajima
Russia claims control of village in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine has not confirmed capture
Russia claimed control over the village of Beretsky in Donetsk Oblast, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Dec. 7.
Ukrainian officials have not commented on Russia's claims, which could not be independently verified.
Berestky is located near Kurakhove, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Donetsk. Kurakhove has seen increasingly heavy assaults in the past months as Russia attempts to encircle the town amid its ongoing push in eastern Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry alleged on Dec. 7 that its forces continued their advance in the region and captured Beretsky. The claim comes two days after Ukraine regained control of Novyi Komar, another village in Donetsk Oblast.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi announced on Nov. 29 that Ukrainian forces stationed near the embattled towns of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove would be supplied with additional reserves, ammunition, weapons, and military equipment.
The Russian advance continues to gain momentum, despite heavy personnel losses, as Ukraine's military struggles to replenish its ranks.
Boldizsar Gyori
Situation in Zaporizhzhia Oblast 'difficult,' but 'predicted,' Freedom of Russia Legion spokesperson says
The situation on the Zaporizhzhia front is becoming "very difficult and tense," but the development was "predicted," Freedom of Russia Legion spokesperson Kostiantyn Denysov said on Dec. 7.
"Their infantry assault groups are trying to find weaknesses in our defenses," he said in an interview with KYIV24.
"Under the cover of armored vehicles, they are trying to figure out how to confront tanks and armored personnel carriers."
The comment comes after a series of warnings about, and attacks on Zaporizhzhia Oblast, which is becoming an increasingly active part of the front line. Denysov said the Russian attacks were still causing difficulties, but added "all this was predicted" as it is a repeat of a pattern observed previously.
"They trained their infantry and practiced with armored vehicles," he said.
"We all understood very well why they were doing all this, and we can already see that they are gradually starting to send bigger groups to attack."
The Freedom of Russia Legion, made up of Russian nationals opposed to the Kremlin, has been actively involved in operations on several fronts, including Zaporizhzhia.
President Zelensky said on Nov. 25 that Ukraine was "aware of the existence of threats" in the Zaporizhzhia sector.
Assault groups arrived in November, and Ukrainian soldiers repelled an attempted offensive in the oblast.Ukraine has been building heavy fortifications just in preparations for a potential Russian offensive in the region.
Boldizsar Gyori
Ukrainian sea drones target Russian-occupied gas platforms in Crimea, Navy says
Ukrainian naval drones have destroyed surveillance systems on Russian-held gas platforms in occupied Crimea, the Commander of the Naval Forces Vice-Admiral Oleksii Neizhpapa, announced on Nov. 7.
"The hunt for the enemy in the Black Sea continues. The occupiers will not stay on our territory — we will get them everywhere," he said in a post on Facebook.
"Naval (drones) delivered precise strikes on Russian targets," he said. Several successful Ukrainian strikes on occupied Crimea have been conducted in recent weeks.
On Nov. 27, Russia claimed that Ukrainian naval drones had hit the seaside city of Sevastopol in occupied Crimea. A powerful explosion was reported in Sevastopol, as well as near the Belbek military airbase.
On Nov. 28, Ukraine destroyed a Russian radar station near the village of Kotovske in occupied Crimea and just one day later Ukrainian forces destroyed three more Russian radar stations in occupied Crimea.
The destroyed systems included Podlet, an advanced mobile radar system which is estimated to have cost around $5 million, and a Kasta radar, which is estimated to have cost around $30 million.
Ukraine repeatedly attacked Russian military and industrial targets in Sevastopol and elsewhere in the occupied peninsula during the full-scale war.
After repeated attacks, Russia withdrew its last patrol ship of the Black Sea Fleet from Crimea on July 15.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
