Ukraine’s losses in the war with Russia: Zelensky announces official figures
5 February 01:23
For the first time in a long time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly announced the official number of Ukrainian soldiers killed since the start of the full-scale war with Russia. The figure stands at 55,000 fallen soldiers, including both regular military personnel and conscripts. The head of state made the announcement in an interview with French newspaper Le Monde, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
“Officially, there are 55,000 on the battlefield.”
According to Zelensky, the figures refer exclusively to confirmed losses on the battlefield.
“In Ukraine, officially, on the battlefield, the number of dead servicemen — both regular military personnel and mobilized personnel — is 55,000,” the president said.
At the same time, he stressed that the real picture is more complicated, as a significant number of people remain missing.
The problem of missing persons
The president separately emphasized that, in addition to the confirmed losses, there are a large number of soldiers whom Ukraine considers missing in action. Some of them may be in captivity, while others may remain unreturned from the battlefield due to active hostilities or occupation of territories.
The Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly stated that the final figures for losses can only be established after the end of the war and the complete identification of the dead and missing.
Why Ukraine rarely announces casualty figures
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has been extremely cautious in commenting on its own losses, explaining this with
- security and military considerations;
- the need to protect the families of military personnel;
- the risk of the figures being used in Russian propaganda.
Zelensky himself has repeatedly emphasized that human losses are not statistics, but specific lives, and the state is obliged to treat this information responsibly.
Record losses for Russia in January
During January, the Ukrainian Defense Forces inflicted some of the most significant losses on the Russian army in recent months.
According to information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the enemy lost more than 31,700 troops, which is comparable to the strength of almost three divisions.
During January, the Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed and damaged 137 enemy tanks, which is equivalent to more than four tank battalions. This is the highest figure since May 2025, when 138 enemy tanks were destroyed in a month.
The enemy also suffered significant losses in artillery: Ukrainian soldiers destroyed 1,099 artillery systems, which is equivalent to more than 60 artillery divisions – the highest figure in the last five months.
Ukrainian defense forces destroyed 45 multiple launch rocket systems, 24 air defense systems, and 4,021 vehicles. The last time the Russian army lost a larger number of vehicles was in April 2025, when it lost 4,104 units.
At the same time, the overall statistics on Russian army losses in armored vehicles in January 2026, as in 2025, are no longer as significant as in 2023–2024, when the enemy lost 300–500 armored vehicles per month. The reason for this is the significant depletion of the enemy’s stocks of armored vehicles and artillery systems.
