Over 46k Ukrainian soldiers killed since start of Russia’s war: Zelensky

Zelensky previously revealed the total casualty count in early Febriary, claiming that Ukraine had lost over 45,000 soldiers.

Nearly 380,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been injured since the start of the all-out war, Zelensky told NBC.

“Ten of thousands” of Ukrainian troops are currently missing in action or being held in Russian captivity, according to the president.

According to Ukraine’s General Staff estimates, Russia has lost a total of 859,920 troops since the start of the war. The figures do not specify killed or wounded, though the overall consensus is that it includes dead, wounded, missing, and captured.

Moscow does not disclose its casualty figures, though a Defense Ministry official in recent months let slip that the department received 48,000 requests to identify missing soldiers.

Ukraine will “never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia” regarding the outcome of peace negotiation without Ukraine’s participation, Zelensky stated during the interview.

Zelensky’s comments come amid reports that a U.S. delegation is set to meet with its Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia for the start of negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

“We have this place at the table at the very beginning, and we are the first who are at this table because the war is in Ukraine,” Zelensky added, noting that Ukrainians would never accept a peace deal that was negotiated on their behalf.

“We are thankful for all the support, unity in the U.S. around Ukraine support – even bipartisan support – we are thankful for all of this, but there is no leader in the world that can make a deal with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin without us, about us.”

Concerns have been raised about Ukraine’s role in the negotiations, with European officials emphasizing that Kyiv must not be sidelined. Kyiv has not received an invitation to attend the meeting in Riyadh, with Zelensky telling reporters that he found out about the meetings through media reports.