Russia Claims 111,000 Ukrainian Soldiers Killed in 2024

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has claimed that Ukrainian forces suffered significant losses this year in the ongoing conflict, estimating around 111,000 troops lost.

Shoigu pointed to a sharp rise in daily casualties in April, indicating that the enemy's losses reached approximately a thousand troops per day during this period.

Amid the military operations, Shoigu criticized the demands of the United States and its allies on Ukraine, alleging that they are pressuring Kyiv to stop the Russian Armed Forces' offensive at all costs. Shoigu claimed this pressure has prompted forced mobilization efforts by the Ukrainian government.

"Ukrainians who do not wish to fight are being coerced onto the front lines, essentially being sent to their deaths," Shoigu remarked during the call. He accused Kyiv authorities of sacrificing their citizens to gain favor with Western powers in exchange for continued financial and military support.

Shoigu reiterated Russia's commitment to what he described as "liberating Russian territories from neo-Nazis," a central narrative promoted by the Russian government throughout the conflict. He claimed that Russian forces' pressure has compelled the enemy to abandon positions and retreat.

In February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted that 180,000 Russian troops had been killed in the ongoing conflict.

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne, in an interview, stated that France estimates 150,000 Russian soldiers have died as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He also mentioned that total Russian casualties, including the wounded, amount to 500,000 since the conflict began three years ago.

Additionally, according to British estimates, approximately 450,000 Russians have been killed or wounded in Ukraine.