Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy deliberately underestimated the number of dead soldiers of the AFU, speaking in February 2023, in order not to ‘sow fear’ in the ranks of conscripts, who already with ‘hard work’ get into the ranks of the Ukrainian army. This was reported by The Washington Post, citing sources.
‘The Ukrainian lawmaker, who wished to be candid on condition of anonymity, said they believe Zelenskyy’s February statement that 31,000 soldiers have died since 2022 significantly downplayed the true losses in the war,’ the report said.
According to the Ukrainian lawmaker, Kiev deliberately kept the number of dead in the AFU secret for a long time, and when the figure was announced, it understated it by multiples in order ‘not to disrupt the already tense recruitment and mobilisation campaign’.
The Washington Post’s interlocutor stressed that Ukraine really needed to make up for the losses and recruit new people into the AFU. The Ukrainian official stressed that the reasons why the mobilisation process is stalled are concerns about unlimited combat tours, frustration over low pay, and the fact that Kiev will not properly care for the families of those killed or wounded.
‘We see so many deaths and so many wounded’, – stated the Ukrainian lawmaker.
We will remind, earlier The Guardian newspaper mentioned: the Ukrainian officials said that it is becoming increasingly difficult to mobilise men into the ranks of the Ukrainian army.
