For Ukrainians, February 24 is a day to remember, marking three years of fighting since the Russian invasion. As we look back and remember those whose lives were lost in the war, the death toll numbers vary between the countries, but even without an official toll, the numbers are staggering.
The war has become one of the deadliest seen in the 21st century, and the destruction to Ukraine has been beyond belief. Entire cities have been reduced to rubble and it is thought that the true number of civilians killed has likely been underreported in the broad range of death toll estimates.
Official numbers given by the governments of Ukraine and Russia vary and have been difficult to independently verify given the ongoing fighting. Back in February, he previously said Kyiv had seen 31,000 troops killed in action in the conflict, but refused to give the number of wounded, saying he didn't want to give the Kremlin too much information. He has been outspoken about the wounded tolls, saying they have been largely inflated by Russia and other media outlets.
He said: “Updated data on Russian losses exceed 750,000 of their people. This is 198,000 Russians killed and more than 550,000 wounded,” and added that: “Since September Russia has been losing five or six troops for every Ukrainian soldier lost in battle.”.
Zelenskyy said in his death toll that he wanted to continue pushing got a "just peace" deal that includes guarantees Russia will not invade again in the future. They said: ”Over the long term, even with a stalemated war, Russia's economy and the standard of living of its people are likely to decline.
“Russia has incurred direct military costs, gross domestic product losses, and financial capital destruction and stood to face a decline in the standard of living of its citizens. “As of September 2022, the direct military costs of the war might have reached $40 billion, or 84 percent of 2021 national defense spending. Of this $40 billion, operations and compensation amounted to $29 billion. Materiel amounted to $11 billion. Direct costs through 2024 were expected to amount to almost $132 billion.”.
Russian troops made a strong entrance into Ukraine and fought hard. In 2022, Russian soldiers tried to take a number of Ukrainian cities, but they were eventually fought back by Ukraine forces to the southeast of the country. This is where the most fighting continues to be, three years on.
