Conflicting Accounts on Civilian, Military Deaths in Ukraine

 

Russia says 498 of its soldiers have died while Ukraine claims more than 6,000 Russian soldiers have been killed

by Dave DeCamp 

Posted onMarch 2, 2022CategoriesNewsTagsRussia, Ukraine

Russia said on Wednesday that 498 of its soldiers have been killed since President Vladimir Putin launched the Russian assault on Ukraine. But on the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered a different number, claiming that nearly 6,000 Russian troops had been killed.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said Wednesday that over 2,000 civilians had been killed since the invasion began, but the numbers are not confirmed. Offering a much lower number, the UN said at least 136 civilians had been killed but noted that the real number could be much higher.

“Most of these casualties were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, and airstrikes,” the UN said on Tuesday. “These are only the casualties we were able to cross-check, and the real toll is likely to be much higher.”

Exact death tolls are usually impossible to know as battles are being fought, but the vastly different accounts highlight the fog of war in Ukraine. Making the issue worse, European countries and social media companies in the US are taking steps to limit access to Russian state media, making it harder for people to read accounts from both sides of the war.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said media reports of more Russian troop deaths were “deliberate disinformation.” He also said Russia has killed over 2,800 Ukrainian troops. At this point, Ukraine hasn’t said how many of its soldiers had died.

https://news.antiwar.com/2022/03/02/conflicting-accounts-on-civilian-military-deaths-in-ukraine/