War in Ukraine: 240,000 have died in conflict, says US
Ukrainian servicemen carry a coffin during a funeral ceremony for troops killed in combat with Russia
The most senior US general estimates that around 100,000 Russian soldiers and 100,000 Ukrainians were killed or wounded in the war in Ukraine.
General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, also suggested that as many as 40,000 civilians died in the conflict.
The estimates are the highest ever released by a Western authority.
He also said signs that Kiev was ready to resume talks with Moscow offered "a window" into negotiations.
In recent days, Ukraine has signaled a willingness to hold some talks with Moscow after President Volodymyr Zelensky withdrew from demanding that his opponent, Vladimir Putin, be removed from power before talks could resume.
Speaking in New York, General Milley added that for any talks to succeed, both Russia and Ukraine would have to come to a "mutual recognition" that a wartime victory "may not be achievable by military means and therefore you have to resort to other means".
The high-ranking general — who serves as the most senior military adviser to US President Joe Biden — said the scale of casualties could convince Moscow and Kiev of the need to negotiate in the coming winter months, when fighting could subside due to conditions. of freezing.
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"You're looking at over 100,000 dead and wounded Russian soldiers," General Milley said. "The same thing probably on the Ukrainian side."
Both Ukraine and Russia keep their casualty numbers secret.
The latest update from Moscow in September said only 5,937 soldiers had been killed since the start of the conflict. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu dismissed reports of a significantly higher death toll.
General Milley's estimate is markedly higher. For comparison, an estimated 15,000 Soviet soldiers died in the 1979-89 conflict in Afghanistan.
Ukraine has refused to provide casualty figures. But in August, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Valeriy Zaluzhniy, was quoted in Ukrainian media as saying that 9,000 Ukrainian soldiers had died so far.
The UN said it did not consider the figures released by those involved in the conflict to be reliable.
"There was a tremendous amount of suffering, human suffering," General Milley said. He also noted that between 15 and 30 million refugees have been generated since Russia launched its invasion on February 24.
The UN has registered 7.8 million people as refugees from Ukraine across Europe, including Russia. However, the figure does not include those who were forced to flee their homes but remain in Ukraine.
On Wednesday (9/11), Moscow announced that its troops would begin withdrawing from the important southern city of Kherson, the only major city to fall to Russian forces.
General Milley said that while "initial indicators" suggested a withdrawal had begun, he noted that Russia has gathered around 20,000 to 30,000 troops in the city, and the withdrawal could take several weeks.
"They have made the public announcement that they are doing this. I believe they are doing this to preserve their strength to re-establish the defensive lines south of the river (Dnieper), but that remains to be seen," he said.
In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin called up some 300,000 reservists to fight in Ukraine.
Military experts in the West and Ukraine say the need for mobilization is a sign that Russian troops are failing badly on the Ukrainian battlefields.
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