Kyiv: 9,000 troops dead since invasion began

NIKOPOL, Ukraine, August 24 ------ Russia's invasion of Ukraine has already killed some 9,000 Ukrainian soldiers since it began six months ago, a general said, and the fighting showed no sign that the war is abating.

At an event for veterans, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's military chief, said many of the country's children need to be taken care of because "their father went to the front line and, perhaps, is one of those almost 9,000 heroes who died." The city of Nikopol has faced relentless pounding since July 12 that has damaged 850 buildings and sent about half its population of 100,000 fleeing. The United Nations says 5,587 civilians have been killed and 7,890 wounded in the war that began on February 24, although the estimate is likely an undercount. The UN Children's Fund (Unicef) said that at least 972 Ukrainian children have been killed or injured since the invasion. Unicef Executive Director Catherine Russell said these were UN-verified figures but "we believe the number to be much higher."

United States President Joe Biden and the leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Germany pleaded for Russia to end military operations so close to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant — Europe's largest — but Nikopol came under fire three times overnight from rockets and mortar shells. Houses, a kindergarten, a bus station and stores were hit, authorities said. There are widespread fears that continued shelling and fighting in the area could lead to a nuclear catastrophe. Russia has asked for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the situation, a move decried by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his nightly video address. "The total number of different Russian cruise missiles that Russia used against us is approaching 3,500. It is simply impossible to count the strikes of Russian artillery; there are so many of them, and they are so intense," he said. Western nations had already scheduled a council meeting today, the sixth mensiversary of the Russian invasion, to discuss its impact on Ukraine.

Vladimir Rogov, an official with the Russia-installed administration of the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, claimed that because of Ukrainian shelling, staffing at the nuclear plant had been cut sharply. Ukrainians say Russia is storing weapons at the plant and has blocked off areas to Ukrainian nuclear workers. The announcement of the scope of Ukraine's military dead stands in sharp contrast to Russia's military, which last gave an update on March 25 when it said 1,351 Russian troops were killed during the first month of fighting. US military officials estimated two weeks ago that Russia has lost between 70,000 to 80,000 soldiers, both killed and wounded in action.

Source: manilatimes.net