31,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed in two years of war, says Zelenskiy

About 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion began two years ago, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday, acknowledging a concrete figure for Ukraine’s toll for the first time in the war.

“This is a great loss for us,” Mr Zelensky said at a news conference in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital. But he declined to reveal the number of wounded or missing, saying Russia could use the information to gauge Ukraine’s active military forces.

Mr. Zelensky’s count could not be independently verified. It differs sharply from estimates by U.S. officials, who last summer put losses much higher and said nearly 70,000 Ukrainians had been killed and 100,000 to 120,000 wounded. Russian military losses were about twice as high, officials said.

Mr. Zelenskiy’s unusual admission came as his country’s armed forces now find themselves on the back foot along most of the 900-kilometer (560-mile) front line as Russian forces launch attacks in the east and south. Ukraine’s military leaders have long said they need more troops to push back against Russia’s brutal attacks; a mobilization bill that could pave the way for a large-scale force of up to 500,000 troops is making its way through the Ukrainian parliament.