Zelenskyy's Aide Says Ukraine Lost No More Than 13,000 Soldiers Since February 24

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd December, 2022) Ukrainian Presidential Adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Thursday that Kiev lost 10,000 to 13,000 soldiers since the offset of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine on February 24.

On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement and during a press conference that "more than 20,000 civilians and more than 100,000 Ukrainian military officers have been killed so far." However, the numbers were edited out from both the video and the statement on the European Commission website later in the day. European Commission deputy chief spokesperson Dana Spinant later said on Twitter that the previous version was inaccurate, as the estimation, used from external sources, should have referred to both killed and injured.

"Regarding Ukraine's losses: undoubtedly, Mrs. Ursula was mistaken - this is obvious. That is why they removed this video, removed these figures. Because we have the official estimates of the General Staff, which the commander-in-chief provides. They range from 10,000 to 12,500-13,000 dead," Podolyak said in an appearance on Ukrainian television.

In November, Sergei Surovikin, the general in charge of Russia's military operation in Ukraine, said that the Ukrainian military lost over 12,000 soldiers in October only. In September, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that more than 61,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed, and some 49,000 troops were injured.