More than three million people have fled Ukraine as Russia took full administrative control of the Kherson region and continues to bomb the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, as well as other cities such as Kharkiv, Mariupol, Sumy and Chernihiv.
There is no dispute over that estimate of 3 million refugees from the United Nations (UN). But conflicting claims are emerging as to the number of civilian casualties on both sides and civilians since the February 24 invasion after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered President Volodymyr Zelensky’s regime to “stop the genocide” in Ukraine. Take a sample of:
- According to the latest estimates from US officials cited by The New York Times, 7,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine, with 14,000 wounded. This is more than the number of American soldiers killed in the 20-year war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
- 498 Russian soldiers were killed and 1,597 wounded, Russia said on March 2. This is the last such communication from Russia.
- 2,870 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed, 3,700 wounded and 572 captured, Russia also said in its March 2 statement. On the other hand, Ukraine, which is externally backed by the US-dominated military alliance NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation), said only 1,300 of its soldiers had been killed as of March 12.
- According to the Donetsk People’s Republic, a self-proclaimed Russian-backed state in Ukraine, 979 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 1,134 wounded in the Donbass region alone as of March 11.
- According to a US official, between 2,000 and 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the war Putin declared to force Ukraine to show neutrality with regards to its conflict with NATO, which has killed many former Soviet constituents in Eastern Europe. expanded by becoming its member.
- 13,800 Russian soldiers have been killed and 600 have been captured, Ukraine said on March 16, in the conflict, which, in addition to military and humanitarian aid to the West, seeks to take on Russia’s apparently superior army, but in direct confrontation. To avoid this, funds have poured in in addition to military and humanitarian aid, mainly because Ukraine is not a member of NATO.
- 700 civilians have been killed, according to the United Nations, which has said the actual figure is much higher, but is not available because intense hostilities hinder reporting and verification. Ukraine said the figure was 3,000 in Mariupol and Kharkiv alone.
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We can assume that Ukrainian casualties will be high because of Russia’s powerful army, however, Ukraine is said to be nearing an exhaustion of ammunition to continue the war. We can understand why the US, Russia and Ukraine are claiming what they are claiming. But we don’t have a clear idea of the death toll as it often happens in an active war zone.
tracking civilian deaths
Even civilian casualties are grossly underestimated by the United Nations. An explanation is being given that this is due to the ground situation. Fierce fighting in several areas has disrupted reporting and verification.
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UN staff are repeatedly forced to relocate due to deteriorating security, unable to interview victims and witnesses. Therefore the United Nations has said that the actual civilian casualties are likely to be much higher.
Meanwhile, NATO is becoming more active in helping Ukraine and increasing its military presence in the region should Russia go beyond Ukraine. Convoys of arms and ammunition from the West are entering Poland and other NATO countries around Russia. The situation would only worsen if Putin carried out his threat of strategic nuclear strikes in retaliation.
Confirmation of deaths in forces
Soldiers’ deaths are more difficult to confirm because these casualties are due to misinformation. In war, governments usually underestimate their losses to boost the morale of their country and allies. Accordingly, they exaggerate enemy damage.
Russia’s media regulator has blocked access to at least 32 websites, increasing its dominance over the media since the start of the war.
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Experts say Ukraine has tried to increase Russian casualties in the current conflict to increase domestic pressure on Putin to stop the war. Russia, too, has used numbers in a way that wants to ensure that protests by its own people against the war don’t get out of hand.
A barrage of economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the US, Japan and European countries is taking effect and will further disrupt the Russian economy and people’s lives.
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Another reason is the lack of clarity in the death figures. For example, Russian military officers sent troops to Putin’s special military operations in Ukraine in addition to regular troops. This caused a stir in Russia when videos and pictures showing these soldiers from Ukraine surfaced.
Putin’s order investigation
Ukraine has uploaded several videos of captured Russian soldiers, many of them aged 18-20, to the Internet, encouraging Russian mothers to scan social media to find out where their sons are. Huh. Rights groups have also been flooded with calls from worried family members of soldiers seeking information.
This forced Putin to call his military prosecutor’s office to investigate how Ukraine arrived, and to punish officers who abandoned their presence in the war zone. In a televised address on International Women’s Day on March 8, Putin said: “Deputed soldiers are not participating and will not participate in the fighting. There will also be no additional recruitment of reservists.”
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