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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Journalist and serviceman Yurii Butusov said that the monthly losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces of 27 thousand people cited by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk do not correspond to reality. Earlier Tusk named monthly losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces , explaining the increase by Russia's new tactic of using rocket-propelled drones. Butusov referred to his own sources in the leadership of the Defense Forces of Ukraine and called the real figures three to four times lower. According to him, if losses really reached such levels, Ukraine would long ago have no one left to fight, since monthly mobilization does not cover the amount Tusk stated. Officially, the Ukrainian side has not yet commented on the Polish prime minister's words.
Tusk made the statement during an address to the Polish Sejm, where he warned that with this trend the winter in Ukraine could turn catastrophic. Butusov responded to these words on his YouTube channel.
"In reality the losses are completely different and the number is much smaller. I contacted sources in the leadership of the Defense Forces of Ukraine and can say that actual losses are at least three times, and in some periods four times, lower," Butusov said.
The journalist noted that it is unknown where the Polish prime minister got the information he voiced. Butusov emphasized that the figure of 27 thousand dead and wounded far exceeds the total number of people Ukraine mobilizes each month.
"If such figures were true, there would be no one left to fight in Ukraine. In reality losses amount to no more than 30% of what was stated," Yurii Butusov said.
According to him, even if you add to the count those who left due to desertion, age, health condition, or the need to care for sick relatives, the total figure still "will not be 27 thousand and not even 50% of that number." Butusov added that he is surprised why Tusk voiced such a figure specifically in the Sejm, and is puzzled why the Ukrainian government is not demanding an explanation of the origin of these data.
Why Tusk's figure raised doubts
The Polish prime minister linked the rise in losses to a change in Russian strategy — a bet on rocket-propelled drones that travel much faster and operate at higher altitudes than ordinary drones. According to him, even Poland is not yet prepared to effectively counter this threat. Tusk also warned of the risk that enemy drones or missiles could strike NATO countries' territory and expressed doubt that Russia is ready for serious negotiations on a ceasefire without Ukraine's capitulation.
It was precisely the discrepancy between allies' official rhetoric and assessments from sources inside the Defense Forces of Ukraine that prompted Butusov's public reaction. The journalist stressed that sensational statements of this scale must be backed by verified data; otherwise they create a false picture of the frontline situation among international partners.
Earlier Informator reported that Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov responded to Zelenskyy's complaint about mobilization , saying that solving the personnel shortage is impossible without a new social contract and trust in the military. We also wrote that mobilization in Russia will not save the front , because increasing manpower only prolongs the Kremlin's defeat rather than bringing about a turning point in combat operations.
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