US officials say the Russian invasion has killed 42,000 Ukrainian civilians since the war began
42,000 Ukrainian civilians have reportedly been killed since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, US officials told Fox News.
The data was based on the latest American battlefield assessment of the war and the death toll is about five times higher than previously reported.
Officials also said 50,000 Russian soldiers were killed and counting, and 180,000 were injured.
Although Ukrainian armed forces were not so badly affected, they suffered 20,000 combat casualties and 130,000 wounded in the past 13 months.
ZELENSKYY SAYS TO GET UKRAINIAN TOWN OF BAKHMUT “ONLY IN OUR HEARTS” AFTER RUSSIAN FORTIFICATION
In this handout photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry’s press service on Sunday, June 5, a Russian military Pion artillery system fires at a target in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
The White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the new casualty figures.
The Pentagon hopes the additional American ammunition — another $375 million announced over the weekend — and the White House’s decision to reverse course and allow Ukrainian pilots to train on American F-16 fighter jets will help to break a months-long stalemate in the war.
TRAINING OF UKRAINE PILOTS IN US IS A “BOMB ANNOUNCEMENT”: GEN. JACK KEANE
Ukrainian marines prepare during the second day of the United States-Ukraine bilateral military exercise Rapid Trident, in which troops from various NATO and non-NATO countries are participating, September 16, 2014 near Yavorov, Ukraine. to training in urban warfare techniques. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
The White House reading of the G7 summit in Japan following President Biden’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made no mention of a spring offensive that US officials are seriously counting on in the coming weeks.
Some Pentagon officials have been secretly frustrated by the delay in Ukraine launching its much-anticipated counteroffensive after hundreds of millions of dollars in weapons and ammunition have arrived and been ready for use against Russian forces in recent months.
Nor was the victory over Russia in Ukraine mentioned in the White House reading. Pentagon officials said the White House is under them not to use the word “victory” in public statements.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gestures during a meeting with President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, Sunday, May 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Some foreign policy experts point out that the British are pioneering the introduction of new weapons in Ukraine – first by training Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation jets (British forces fly Tornado fighter-bombers rather than F-16s). White House announcement and UK decision to send Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine, which are similar to US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles but have a shorter range.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Despite Russia’s claims that it won the month-long battle over the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Zelenskyy said in Hiroshima on Sunday that Bakhmut “did not win”. [been] captured by the Russian Federation today. There can be no two or three interpretations for this.”