At the beginning of the full-scale war , the Ukrainian command underestimated the Kremlin's readiness to endure tremendous losses to achieve its goals. TSN reports. This information has been shared by Kontrakty.UA.
This was stated by the former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, now the Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, during a forum titled "Ukraine Changes the World".
The general mentioned that he expected the heavy and significant losses of the Russian army would compel "Fuhrer" Vladimir Putin to halt the invasion. However, this belief proved to be misguided.
"This was entirely my mistake. Today, we see that human resources are the cheapest for Russia. Russia does not take human losses into account and is willing to achieve its goals despite the most severe casualties. This needs to be acknowledged," Zaluzhnyi emphasized.
Despite this, inflicting maximum losses on the Russians remains a crucial objective for the Ukrainian Defense Forces, the former commander added.
As a reminder, according to the General Staff, the losses of the Russian army as of February 19, 2025 amount to 862,390 personnel. Additionally, over 10,000 Russian tanks, 370 aircraft, and 331 helicopters have been destroyed.