Putin Issues Rare Statement on Ukraine War Losses

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday gave a rare update on casualty and prisoner-of-war figures from Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine, saying to international journalists that Kyiv’s losses were several times that of Moscow’s, but providing no evidence to support the assertion.

RIA Novosti reported that the president told the heads of international news agencies at a meeting in St. Petersburg that there are 1,348 Russian soldiers and officers in captivity in Ukraine, versus 6,465 Ukrainians in Russian detention.

Putin also said that the ratio of “irretrievable losses” between Russia and Ukraine was one to five in favor of Moscow.

Putin’s claim runs contrary to both Ukrainian and U.S. battlefield estimates, which have reported throughout the war that Moscow has suffered significantly more casualties than Kyiv.

This is a developing story and will be updated.