Fact check: Russian casualties, economic growth and potholes pledge
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– Did 45,000 Russian troops die in November?. On BBC Radio 4’s Today programme last week, Foreign Secretary David Lammy claimed Russia had “lost 45,000 troops, dead, in November alone” in the war with Ukraine. The MoD told Full Fact it does not have a breakdown of the number of these casualties who were killed, versus those wounded. In December Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that over the course of the war approximately 198,000 Russians had been killed, and 550,000 wounded, suggesting that wounded troops substantially outnumber those killed.
It is worth noting there is always considerable uncertainty over casualty figures in armed conflict, and it is not possible for Full Fact to verify any of these estimates. Russia has reportedly disputed the figures. A study published in August 2023 found that “both sides likely overestimate the personnel losses suffered by their opponent and that Russian sources underestimate their own losses of personnel”.
We asked the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office about Mr Lammy’s claim, but did not receive a response. – Did the UK have the ‘fastest growing economy in the G7’ under the Conservatives?. In the last few days a number of Conservative politicians, including Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch, have claimed the last government left Labour with “the fastest growing economy in the G7”.
