Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asserted that Russia’s total casualties in the ongoing war have reached approximately 650,000, comprising both those killed and wounded.
In an exclusive interview with The Times of India Zelensky highlighted the severe toll on Russian forces, describing a campaign marked by substantial losses due to battlefield actions and punitive measures reportedly inflicted by Russian forces on their own soldiers.
Speaking on Russian tactics and the brutal consequences for its mobilised forces, Zelensky stated, “Russia has inflicted a high death toll on its own citizens. Many mobilised soldiers have been killed by their own army when they retreated out of fear, rather than advancing under heavy fire and risking death or injury.”
He pointed to reports that Russian commanders have sometimes fired on retreating soldiers, resulting in increased casualties. According to Zelensky, these figures reflect Moscow’s apparent lack of regard for the numbers of those killed or wounded, with Russian forces purportedly leaving many bodies unrecovered from the battlefield.
Battlefield Conditions and Strategic Observations
Zelensky expanded on the battlefield conditions, particularly in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces are intensifying pressure on Ukrainian positions. He characterised Moscow’s strategy as one of attrition, describing it as “grinding” through waves of troops with scant regard for losses, stating, “They are throwing bodies at us.” He asserted that Russian tactics involve treating its own soldiers as expendable resources to achieve incremental territorial gains.
This grim portrayal aligns with previous Ukrainian assessments of Russian battlefield tactics, particularly concerning the high numbers of infantry deployed to press forward despite Ukrainian resistance. Zelensky’s comments highlight ongoing reports from Ukrainian defence analysts and officials, who have frequently depicted Russian strategy as reliant on substantial numbers of troops with limited regard for their survival, often resulting in high casualty rates.
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Reports of Collateral Damage within Russian Borders
In an additional revelation, Zelensky commented on recent Ukrainian observations following the “Kursk Operation,” a designation believed to reference recent combat engagements near Ukraine’s north-eastern border. He noted that following this operation, Ukrainian forces witnessed incidents where Russian forces were striking within their own territory. According to Zelensky, these strikes inadvertently targeted Russian civilians remaining in the Kursk region, signalling potential internal operational misalignments or miscommunication within Russian ranks.
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