Putin's Kursk claim contradicts past statements, raises doubts
Independent Russian channel Astra identified a blunder by dictator Vladimir Putin during the Valdai Club event, where he claimed that Ukrainian armed forces "lost over 30,000 people" in the Kursk region — more than in all of 2023, he said. The issue is that a year earlier, Putin stated something completely different.
The losses incurred in the war are closely held by both the Kremlin and Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelensky has disclosed Ukraine's losses only once. In February 2024, he stated that 31,000 Ukrainian military personnel had died but refused to reveal the number of wounded.
On Friday, speaking at the Valdai Club, Putin claimed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost more people in the Kursk region than throughout 2023 — 30,000 people. Independent channel Astra recalls that a year earlier, the dictator said Ukraine had lost 90,000 people.
- Within three months of combat operations, the losses of the Kyiv regime exceed those of the entire last year — over 30,000. They lost fewer tanks — approximately 200 now, compared to probably 240 last year, Putin said.
Putin manipulates numbers
Astra notes that on October 5, 2023, at the same Valdai Forum, Putin announced that Ukrainian losses since the beginning of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which started in the summer, were 90,000 people and 557 tanks.
These discrepancies may suggest data manipulation for propaganda purposes. Differences in reported numbers may stem from a desire to present the situation in a manner favourable to the Russian narrative. Astra also highlights inconsistencies that may indicate Kremlin manipulations.
Kyiv: Russia lost 20,000 soldiers in Kursk
On November 6, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, announced that during Ukrainian military operations in the Kursk region in Russia, Russian forces lost over 20,000 soldiers.
More than 7,900 soldiers were killed, over 12,200 were wounded, and 717 were captured, he mentioned. During this period, 1,101 units of enemy weapons and military equipment were destroyed, including 54 tanks, 276 armoured fighting vehicles, 107 guns and mortars, five rocket artillery systems, and 659 vehicles.
