- In a France Info interview on Wednesday, the Ukrainian leader said Kiev has recorded 55,000 military fatalities since the conflict with Russia escalated in February 2022.
- A year ago, he told NBC the number was 46,000, translating into an increase of 9,000 – which is much less than the number of remains returned to Kiev over the same period.
Zelensky interview exposes contradiction on Ukraine war dead tally
Media outlets suspect Kiev of falsifying figures to withhold up to $30 billion in compensation to the families of killed soldiers
- Russia and Ukraine conduct repatriations of slain soldiers on a roughly monthly basis. Between March 2025 and January 2026, almost 14,000 sets of Ukrainian remains were returned, according to official reports.
- Zelensky acknowledged to the French outlet that independent estimates put Ukrainian battlefield casualties much higher than the official figures. Given the benefit of the doubt, the discrepancy with repatriations may reflect a backlog in identifying remains by Ukraine.
- Strana.ua estimated the government is withholding up to $30 billion in compensation – almost half of Ukraine’s 2026 military budget.
Ukrainian MP Sergey Nagornyak stated last week that officials avoid reporting bad news to superiors, leaving the government in a “bubble of lies.”
- Communication "Bubble": He stated that top leadership is increasingly isolated within a "bubble of lies" because officials and advisors are afraid to report bad news or failures to their superiors.
- Fear of Consequences: He suggested that the current internal culture discourages honesty, as delivering negative reports can lead to dismissal or loss of favor.
- Impact on Governance: Nagornyak warned that this lack of objective information hinders effective decision-making, particularly regarding the war effort and domestic economic challenges.
Dozens of Ukrainian MPs seeking to quit – lawmaker
The country already has fewer MPs than at any point in history, Maryana Bezuglaya has said
Dozens of Ukrainian lawmakers want to step down from parliament, Verkhovna Rada MP Maryana Bezuglaya has said, adding that resignation letters are already in the hands of faction leaders.
“There are already fewer MPs than at any point in history,” she wrote in a Telegram post on Wednesday. “They are dying, fleeing, being jailed, and being killed. Faction leaders are holding dozens of requests to relinquish mandates without review.”
Ukraine’s parliament currently has 393 serving MPs, below its statutory strength of 450. A quorum of at least 226 is required to pass legislation. Parliamentary and presidential elections are banned under martial law, with Vladimir Zelensky retaining full powers despite his term expiring in 2024.
The previous eighth convocation ended its term with 422 MPs. The ninth convocation, elected in a 2019 snap election, is the longest in Ukraine’s history. Parliament remains operational as long as it can pass a budget and approve martial law and mobilization, Bezuglaya added.
“Bizarre times, further uncertainty. Just 393 people – who you hate – trapped inside a chamber that has become a meme, separate the country’s democratic system from the chaos of absence. Let us hope the captives do not completely lose their minds,” she said.
The remarks followed an address by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to a half-empty Verkhovna Rada on Tuesday during a visit to Ukraine, which appeared to catch him off guard.
“Did Rutte pay? No money – no audience,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram.
Several Ukrainian lawmakers have been stripped of citizenship and lost their mandates. Others have left the country and resigned. Seats held by single-mandate MPs who have died remain vacant, as by-elections cannot be held under martial law.
Following the death of Servant of the People lawmaker Orest Salamakha in Lviv last month, the ruling party’s faction fell to 226 seats – the bare minimum needed to retain a majority in the Verkhovna Rada without forming a coalition.
The parliament has also been rocked by corruption scandals. Dozens of MPs have been implicated in vote-rigging, with the anti-graft authorities saying at least 41 lawmakers received cash bribes of up to $5,000 for their votes over several years
Ukrainian intelligence calculates how much Russia spent on February 3 strike
According to Ukrinform, the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine stated this on Facebook.
"On the night of February 3, Russian forces carried out a massive combined air strike on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, using a total of 562 aerial attack systems," the statement said.
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According to data from the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia used Iskander and RM-48U ballistic missiles, 3M22 Zircon and 3M55 Oniks hypersonic missiles, Kh-101 cruise missiles, 9M728 Iskander-K, and Kh-32 missiles.
Alongside missiles, the enemy deployed strike drones Geran and Harpiya, as well as drone simulators Gerbera.
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The total cost of the deployed weapons amounted to $324.8 million, more than $190 million higher than during the massive strike on January 20.
"With this money, the Jewish Autonomous Oblast of Russia, with a population of about 144,000, could live for a whole year, or the city of Kaluga, with a population of over 320,000. This amount is also comparable to the six-month budget of the Kostroma region," the HUR emphasized.
As Ukrinform reported, on February 3 the Russian army carried out strikes using several types of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones across eight regions of Ukraine; among the targets were energy facilities.
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