Key facts
- President Zelensky stated approximately 50,000 Ukrainian service members have been killed and 400,000 wounded.
- Zelensky estimated Russian forces have suffered around 1.6 million military casualties, including 700,000 killed.
- Three Ukrainian Special Operations Forces members were injured and five are missing after an ammunition detonation in Khmelnytskyi Oblast.
- Khartiia Brigade Commander Ihor Obolienskyi survived an assassination attempt, with the alleged attacker detained.
- Ukrainian forces conducted strikes on an oil refinery in Russia's Volgograd Oblast and an aircraft factory in occupied Crimea.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has presented new figures for military casualties on both sides of the conflict, stating that approximately 50,000 Ukrainian service members have been killed and around 400,000 wounded. He also estimated that Russian forces have sustained about 1.6 million casualties, including 700,000 killed.
Zelensky's latest death toll for Ukraine is lower than the figure he provided in February, when he stated at least 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been confirmed killed. The exact scale of losses remains difficult to ascertain as neither country fully discloses its figures.
A study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated Russian battlefield casualties between February 2022 and June 2026 at 1.4 million, with up to 450,000 troops killed. The same study estimated Ukraine's losses between 525,000 and 625,000 casualties, including 125,000 to 150,000 killed. CSIS projected combined military casualties exceeding 2 million.
In a separate incident, three Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SOF) members were injured and five are unaccounted for following an ammunition detonation at a military training ground in Khmelnytskyi Oblast. The incident, which began around midday and continued for hours, is under investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation for potential weapons handling violations. Several buildings were damaged, and local authorities issued safety warnings.
President Zelensky also reported that Khartiia Brigade Commander Ihor Obolienskyi survived an assassination attempt. He stated that the alleged attacker and accomplices have been detained. Reports suggest the suspect was recruited by Russian special services and that his weapon malfunctioned during the attempt. This incident follows previous reports of Russian intelligence services recruiting citizens for assassination attempts against Ukrainian figures.
Ukrainian forces have also carried out strikes, hitting an oil refinery in Russia's Volgograd Oblast and an aircraft factory in occupied Crimea, according to military confirmations. Meanwhile, Ukrainian media reported that newly appointed Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi ordered assault regiments of Ukraine's Ground Forces to temporarily suspend recruitment amid allegations of misconduct and non-combat deaths within some units.