According to the most senior US general, around 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or wounded in the Ukraine conflict.
The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, also estimated that approximately 40,000 civilians had been killed in the battle.
The estimates are the highest ever provided by an authority from the West.
He added that indications that Kyiv was eager to re-enter dialogue with Moscow provided “an opening” for negotiations.
In recent days, Ukraine has signaled a willingness to engage in dialogue with Moscow, after President Volodymyr Zelensky withdrew a demand that his counterpart, Vladimir Putin, be removed from office before the resumption of negotiations.
However, speaking in New York, General Milley noted that for any negotiations to be successful, both Russia and Ukraine would have to “mutually recognize” that a military triumph “may not be attainable through military means, and so you must resort to other ways.
The top general, who acts as the most senior military counsel to President Joe Biden, stated that the size of the losses could convince both Moscow and Kyiv of the necessity to discuss over the upcoming winter months, when fighting may slow due to freezing temperatures.
More than 100,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded, General Milley stated. “Probably the same on the Ukrainian side.”
Ukraine and Russia both jealously maintain their casualty figures.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu refuted allegations of a considerably higher death toll, citing a September report that indicated 5,937 Russian soldiers had been killed since the conflict began.
Gen. Milley’s estimation is significantly greater. In comparison, an estimated 15,000 Soviet soldiers perished in the Afghanistan conflict between 1979 and 1989.
In general, Ukraine has refrained from providing casualty estimates. The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Valeriy Zaluzhniy, was quoted by Ukrainian media in August as saying that 9,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed to date.
The United Nations has stated that it does not believe figures supplied by conflict parties to be credible.
General Milley stated, “There has been a huge amount of human misery.” He added that between 15 and 30 million migrants have been created since Russia’s incursion began on February 24.
The United Nations has documented 7.8 million Ukrainian refugees across Europe, including Russia. However, the number does not include individuals who were compelled to evacuate their homes but who remain in Ukraine.
Moscow said on Wednesday that its troops will begin withdrawing from Kherson, the last major city to fall to Russian forces.
Although “early evidence” showed that a withdrawal had begun, Gen. Milley noted that Russia had gathered between 20,000 and 30,000 troops in the city and that the pullout may take several weeks.
“They made the public announcement that they will act. I believe they are doing this to maintain their army to reestablish defensive lines south of the [Dnieper] river; however, this remains to be seen “he stated.
The news of Russia’s pullout from Kherson follows Vladimir Putin’s September request for 300,000 reservists to fight in Ukraine.
According to military experts in the West and Ukraine, the need for mobilization demonstrated that Russian forces in Ukraine were doing poorly on the battlefield.
