‘Russian military setback is clear’

France has estimated that 150,000 Russian soldiers were killed in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said in an interview published Friday.

Speaking to Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta Europe, Sejourne stated that Paris estimated the total number of Russian casualties, including those injured, at 500,000 since the start of the war, which is now in its third year.

“Europe and its partners will remain united and determined for as long as necessary. Russia’s military setback is already evident. We estimate Russian military losses at 500,000, including 150,000 dead,” he said.

“All this for what?” he asked. “This can be summed up in two words: for nothing,” he added.

Russia has not released any information about its victims.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed in February that 180,000 Russian troops had been killed in the war.

According to British estimates, around 450,000 Russians have been killed or injured in Ukraine.

The BBC reported in April that more than 50,000 Russian soldiers had been killed, citing its own reporters, the independent media group Mediazona and volunteers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a “special military operation” at dawn on February 24, 2022, which has since turned into a bloody war of attrition, isolating Russia from the West.

Some military analysts believe that Russia is about to launch a major new offensive in Ukraine.

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The conference, which was to take place in Lucerne, Switzerland, has been dismissed by Russia as a US-led initiative.

Sejourne discussed the frozen Russian assets in the European Union and reaffirmed that the funds could be used to finance Ukraine’s defense against the invasion, but gave no details.

“With the rise in interest rates, these assets will have generated almost 4 billion euros in income by 2023. We want them to be used to finance defense and reconstruction efforts in Ukraine.”

Novaya Gazeta Europe was founded by exiled journalists from the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.