Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has put the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed since the start of the large-scale Russian military invasion two years ago at 31,000. It is the first time that the Ukrainian leader gives a specific number of deaths in his own ranks during this war.

“31,000 Ukrainians, military, have died in this war,” Zelensky declared when asked about the number of casualties, after which he explained that the number does not include wounded or missing soldiers. “That’s a lot of people for us,” said Zelensky, who rejected the estimates. which put the Ukrainian death toll at up to 300,000.

In addition, Zelensky has also offered a figure of deceased Russian soldiers in this war: “180,000 have died,” said the Ukrainian head of state, who added that another half a million Russian soldiers have been injured in the contest. However, the Ukrainian president did not want to give the number of wounded Ukrainian soldiers so as not to help Russia know the number of Ukrainians who have gone to the front.

The President of Ukraine made these statements at a press conference held in Kyiv on the occasion of the second anniversary of the beginning of the Russian invasion on a large scale in Ukraine, in which he also regretted that “tens of thousands of civilians” have died or have been murdered after being tortured in the territories occupied by Russia, although he has added that the exact number of victims will only be known when the war ends.

Highlights the importance of continuing to receive aid from the US

On the other hand, Zelensky has highlighted the importance that will have for your country the continue receiving military aid from the United States in the third year of the war, and has stressed that the dynamics of the conflict could change if Ukraine received ten additional Patriot anti-missile systems in the coming months.

The Ukrainian head of state has explained that Kyiv can look for alternatives to the financing it receives from Washington, but that American weapons is irreplaceable for Ukraine on the battlefield due to the shortage in the rest of the allied countries of certain types of military material available to the United States.

In this sense, Zelensky has put as example Patriot anti-missile systems which Ukraine already uses successfully to protect some of its cities and strategic infrastructure and continues to claim greater numbers to stop being vulnerable to Russian air strikes in more areas of its territory.

“Can we reinforce Ukraine’s anti-aircraft defense without the United States? No! There are no adequate systems in the (rest of the) world,” he expressed in reference to the difficulties involved in finding systems like the Patriot in other countries.

Difficult months for Ukraine

Regarding the prospects of unlocking the $60 billion in assistance to Ukraine that a part of the Republican Party in the US Congress rejects, Zelensky has expressed having “confidence” that a positive solution will be reachedand explained that Ukraine needs aid to be approved within “one month.”

Thus, Zelensky has anticipated some “difficult” months of March and April for Ukraine given the push of the Russian offensive in the east and southeast and the uncertainty of the continuity of American aid, on which Kyiv depends to cover the shortfalls it currently has in ammunition and artillery systems, anti-aircraft defense and missiles. long-range. In this sense, the Ukrainian president has acknowledged being “disappointed” by the delays in assistance from his allies: “It is a waste of time and people,” he has said about the effects of these delays on Ukraine.

In addition, Zelensky has stated that a small additional quantity of some types of weapons sent by the United States and European countries that have already proven their effectiveness on the battlefield would drastically change the dynamics of the war in favor of Ukraine.

“If in the next few months Ukraine received 10 Patriot systems to (protect) Ukraine’s key industrial centers, and we could use these systems closer to the front line, (Russian planes) would not approach us, they would retreat, we would break their defense lines and we would advance,” Zelensky pointed out as an example.