President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi admitted during an interview with the BBC that he knows the exact number of casualties suffered by the Armed Forces of Ukraine every day. However, according to the head of state, this information remains closed to the public in order to avoid it falling into the hands of the Russian military.
Daily losses: hard realities
"This is a very painful and important issue for me. Unfortunately, I see these changes every day and they are not in a positive direction. It does not become less. And I can't tell you this information now, because that's the moment. We don't want the Russians to know all the information," Zelenskyi said.
The question of the duration of the war
When asked how long Kyiv will be able to continue suffering such losses, Zelenskyy emphasized that the main thing is to save human lives and minimize losses. He also drew attention to the difference in approaches to the treatment of the wounded between the Ukrainian and Russian military.
"If we have one killed for every 6-8 wounded, then they have every second or third. This suggests that they are not fighting for their man's survival, they are leaving him on the battlefield. And that's why I can't compare this process with 'how much more can we do,'" explained the Ukrainian leader.
Factors affecting the duration of the struggle
Zelensky singled out several key factors that determine Ukraine's ability to continue the struggle:
- Morale of the military.
- The morale of the people who support the military.
- Unity between military and civilians in Ukraine.
- The unity of the West in supporting Ukraine.
"This is such a great union and we can fight for victory, but only if all these elements work. And that's why we need to look at this, these are the main factors," concluded Zelensky.
Losses of Ukraine in the war
On February 25, 2024, Zelensky for the first time made public the number of dead defenders of Ukraine. According to him, 31 thousand Ukrainian soldiers died in this war. However, as reported by The New York Times, an independent analysis of this statement could not be conducted. Last summer, American analysts estimated Ukraine's losses to be much higher — about 70,000 dead and 100,000-120,000 wounded.
The number of dead soldiers named by the president is adequate, however, according to the officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and volunteer Myroslav Gai, there are also missing persons, among whom may be fallen heroes.
