"According to battlefield data, the number of fallen soldiers, including professional military personnel and mobilized individuals, is 55,000," President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on 4/2, adding that a "large number" of Ukrainian soldiers are currently considered missing, but he did not specify the exact figure.

President Zelensky asserted that Russia does not count its fallen soldiers, while Ukraine "is forced to do so." He warned that Moscow would continue to suffer heavy losses if it attempts to control the entire Donbass region, including Donetsk and Lugansk provinces, by force.

"That would cost Russia an additional 800,000 soldiers' bodies. They would need at least two years at a very slow pace. In my opinion, they would not last that long," the Ukrainian President added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a press conference in Kyiv on 3/2. Photo: AP

Zelensky also emphasized that Kyiv would never concede on the issue of territorial sovereignty. "This is our land," the Ukrainian leader said.

Zelensky's statement came as trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) entered their second day. Ukrainian officials reported that the event was "substantive and effective, focusing on concrete steps and practical solutions."

Following the first day of talks, President Zelensky stated that Russia and Ukraine are expected to resume prisoner exchanges soon. He accused Moscow last week of suspending these operations because it "felt it gained no benefit."

Territorial issues are currently the main sticking point in negotiations to end the Ukraine conflict. Moscow seeks Kyiv's withdrawal from areas it still controls in the Donbass region, while Ukraine aims to freeze the current front lines and refuses unilateral troop withdrawals.

Russia and Ukraine rarely disclose battlefield casualty figures. In February 2025, President Zelensky reported that over 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and nearly 380,000 military personnel wounded since the conflict began.

Ukrainian service members return after a mission in Donetsk province on 31/1. Photo: AP

The Russian Ministry of Defense last disclosed its military's losses in September 2022, reporting 5,937 service members killed.

The Washington D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated last month that nearly 325,000 Russian soldiers have died since the start of the conflict, while Ukraine's figure stands at 100,000-140,000. Including those wounded and missing, total casualties for both sides in the conflict approach 1,8 million, according to CSIS.

Russian and Ukrainian officials have not commented on the figures provided by CSIS.

The ratio of military body exchanges between the two sides shows a significant disparity. In the most recent exchange on 29/1, Russia handed over 1,000 bodies of service members to Ukraine in exchange for 38 fallen soldiers. Throughout 2025, Moscow returned over 15,000 bodies to Ukraine while receiving approximately 400 fallen soldiers.

Pham Giang (According to Kyiv Independent, AFP, Moscow Times)