The tally differs sharply from estimates by U.S. officials and military analysts, who have said the number is closer to 70,000.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and 370,000 wounded since Russia’s full-scale invasion began nearly three years ago. It was the first time in months that he had disclosed military casualty figures, a highly sensitive topic in Ukraine, particularly as Kyiv’s forces lose more ground to Russian troops.
The Ukrainian leader’s tally could not be verified independently, and it differs sharply from estimates by U.S. officials and military analysts, who have put the number of dead much higher. U.S. officials said in August 2023 that close to 70,000 soldiers had been killed, a figure that has probably increased significantly since then.
Yuri Butusov, a Ukrainian journalist with close ties to the army, shared a similar figure last week, adding that 35,000 soldiers were also missing in action.
Mr. Zelensky also noted that about half of the wounded soldiers return to the battlefield after treatment. This suggests that Ukraine has suffered a total of about 230,000 irreplaceable losses, comprising those killed and those permanently incapacitated by injuries.
It was not immediately clear why Mr. Zelensky chose to release casualty figures now, but his statement came just a few hours after President-elect Donald J. Trump said that Ukraine had lost 400,000 soldiers, without specifying the number of dead or wounded. Mr. Trump, who also said that Russia’s casualties were close to 600,000 soldiers, said the high toll of the war underscored the need for an immediate cease-fire and the start of peace negotiations.
“I know Vladimir well,” Mr. Trump wrote Sunday on social media, referring to Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin. “This is his time to act. China can help. The World is waiting!” He urged Mr. Putin to begin negotiations and called on China, which has aligned itself with Russia on many issues, to join the process.
