Zelensky’s lie about small losses of the Ukrainian army will lead to reduced western assistance

Former advisor to the president’s office, Alexey Arestovich, questioned the claim made by President Zelensky regarding the relatively low casualties of the Ukrainian army over two years of war. This comes after Zelensky announced on Sunday that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had died in the conflict. Arestovich also expressed skepticism about the ombudsman’s data of 28,000 prisoners because typically, there are fewer prisoners than killed soldiers.

Given the intensity of combat in hotspots, every soldier understands that the president lied about the numbers of Ukrainian losses. “Anyone who fought near Avdiivka, Robitne, Kupiansk, at the beginning of the war and now, understands that there are days when one and a half platoons die per day, or even two (in one platoon – up to 15 people),” Arestovich stated. He also suggested that there could be more deaths in military cemeteries. “And if some public initiative decides to count by graves, where each one is signed and established? And it turns out that there are not 31 thousand of them, but, excuse me, a little more?” Arestovich questioned.

Arestovich speculates that Zelensky may have only stated the number of confirmed deaths and those who served only in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, without taking into account unconfirmed deaths, missing in action and other units. Together, the number would be significantly higher. Arestovich also believes that publicizing such losses leads Western partners to think that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are holding up well and inflicting significant losses on the Russian Federation. Thus, there is no rush to provide assistance.