Russia’s Surprising Number of Wars in Ukraine Is Worse Than You Think –

Geneva (AP) – One hundred days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war has brought the world into almost daily chaos: corpses of civilians on the streets of Bucha; The theater exploded in Mariupol; Chaos after Russia’s missile attack on Kramatorsk railway station.

These photos show only part of the whole picture of the most horrific armed conflict in Europe In decades. Here are some figures and statistics that, although inconsistent and sometimes vague, shed more light on the deaths, destruction, displacements and economic devastation caused by war as it reaches its endless stage. .

No one knows how many fighters or civilians were killed, and the allegations of casualties by government officials – who sometimes exaggerate or underestimate their data for public relations reasons – cannot be substantiated.

Government officials, United Nations agencies and others who produce the death toll do not always have access to the places where people died.

Moscow has released little information about casualties to its forces and allies and has not mentioned civilian casualties in areas under its control. In some areas – for example The long -besieged city of Mariupol Potentially the biggest killing in the war: Accused Russian forces of trying to cover up the deaths and dispose of the corpses in mass funerals, which hinders the total amount.

Despite all these warnings, “at least tens of thousands” of Ukrainian civilians have been killed so far, President Vladimir Zelensky said in a comment to Luxembourg’s parliament on Thursday.

In Mariupol alone, officials said more than 21,000 civilians were killed. According to the mayor, Sievierdonetsk, a city in the eastern region of Lugansk, which was at the center of the Russian attack, had about 1,500 casualties.

Such tests include those killed by Russian attacks or troops, as well as those killed by side effects such as hunger and disease due to falling food supplies and health services.

Zelensky said this week that between 60 and 100 Ukrainian soldiers die in combat every day and up to 500 are wounded.

Russia’s latest publicly released data on its forces came on March 25, when the general told state media that 1,351 soldiers had been killed and 3,825 wounded.

Ukrainian and Western observers say the real number is higher: Zelensky said on Thursday that more than 30,000 Russian soldiers had been killed – “more than what the Soviet Union lost during the 10 -year war in Afghanistan.” ; By the end of April, the British government estimated Russia’s losses at 15,000.

Speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, a Western official said on Wednesday that Russia was “still receiving victims, but … in fewer numbers.” The official estimates that about 40,000 Russian soldiers were wounded.

In Moscow-backed separatist enclaves in eastern Ukraine, authorities reported the disappearance of more than 1,300 fighters and nearly 7,500 wounded in the Donetsk region, 477 civilians were killed and nearly 2,400 were wounded; In addition, 29 civilians were killed and 60 wounded in Lugansk.

Relentless bombing, bombing and air strikes have left many cities and towns in ruins.

Ukraine’s Parliamentary Human Rights Commission says Russia’s military has destroyed nearly 38,000 residential buildings. 220,000 homeless.

As many as 1,900 educational institutions were damaged, from kindergartens to graduate universities to primary schools, of which 180 of them were completely destroyed.

Other infrastructure losses, according to Ukrainian officials, include 300 roads and 50 railway bridges, 500 factories and about 500 damaged hospitals.

The World Health Organization recorded 296 attacks on hospitals, ambulances and health workers in Ukraine this year.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that approximately 6.8 million people were deported from Ukraine during the conflict.

But after fighting subsided near Kiev and elsewhere, and Russian forces were deployed east and south, about 2.2 million returned to the country, he said.

The United Nations International Organization for Migration estimates that as of May 23 there were more than 7.1 million internally displaced people, those who fled their homes but remained in the country. That’s less than 8 million in previous counts.

Ukrainian officials said that prior to the invasion in February, Russia controlled approximately 7% of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and by separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk. Zelensky said Thursday that Russian forces now occupy 20 percent of the country.

Although the front line is constantly changing, extending an additional 58,000 square kilometers (22,000 square miles) under Russian control, the total area is slightly larger than Croatia or slightly smaller than the U.S. state of the West. Virginia.

The West has imposed a series of retaliatory sanctions against Moscow, including major oil and gas sectors, and Europe is beginning to move away from its reliance on Russia’s energy.

Eugene Gontmacher, Academic Director of the European Dialogue, wrote in the newspaper this week that Russia currently faces more than 5,000 targeted sanctions, more than any other country. He added that about $ 300 billion of Russian gold and currency reserves in the West were frozen, while air traffic in the country dropped from 8.1 million to 5.2 million passengers from January to March.

The MOEX Russia stock index had fallen nearly a quarter before the raid and has fallen nearly 40% since the beginning of the year. And Russia’s central bank said last week that annual inflation was 17.8 percent in April.

At the same time, Ukraine claims that it has suffered a surprising economic blow: 35% of GDP was destroyed by the war.

“Our direct losses now exceed $ 600 billion,” said Andriy Ermak, head of the Zelensk office recently.

Ukraine, a major agricultural producer, said it did not export 22 million tonnes of wheat. He blames Russia for blocking shipments or seizing major ports. Zelensky accused Russia this week of stealing at least half a million tons of wheat during the invasion.

The slowdown has spread around the world, further increasing commodity costs as well as inflation, which had already been released in many areas before the invasion.

Crude prices in London and New York rose 20 to 25 per cent, resulting in higher prices for pump -based and petroleum -based products.

Developing countries are particularly hit by high costs for food, fuel and finance, says economist Richard Kozul-Wright of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

Reported by Karmanau from Lviv, Ukraine.