Zelensky announces how many Ukrainians died on the front. The number is much lower than unofficial estimates

The number of Ukrainian soldiers killed in frontline battles with the Russian army is estimated at 55,000, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with France2, Reuters reports.

“In Ukraine, the official number of soldiers killed on the battlefield – professional or conscripted – is 55,000,” Zelenskiy said in the interview broadcast on Wednesday.

Zelenski added that in addition to this number, there are “a large number of people” who are officially considered missing.

Unofficial estimates are much higher

The number is lower than most estimates made by independent organizations. Research published on January 27 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, shows that almost 1.2 million Russian soldiers and almost 600,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed, wounded or are missing. This puts the combined total number of casualties on both sides at nearly 1.8 million.

Throughout the conflict, the number of casualties has been difficult to ascertain, as Russia is believed to systematically underestimate the number of dead and wounded, and Ukraine does not release official figures. The CSIS study relied, among other sources, on estimates from the Washington and London governments.

CSIS has estimated the death toll of Russian troops at nearly 325,000 since President Putin ordered the invasion in February 2022.

“No major power has suffered anywhere near as many casualties or deaths since World War II,” notes the study published by CSIS.

In 2025 alone, there were approximately 415,000 Russian soldiers killed or wounded, an average of nearly 35,000 per month. Last week, US President Donald Trump claimed that nearly 26,000 soldiers were dying in Ukraine every month.

The study also estimated that between 100,000 and 140,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since the beginning of the war.