Amidst Russia-Ukraine conflict, Fog of war shrouds true human toll as casualty figures remain uncertain

In the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the true extent of human casualties remains unattainable, as both sides assert secrecy about their losses. The fog of war has cast uncertainty over casualty figures, with a deliberate scarcity of information to preserve troop morale and public perception. As the conflict unfolds, understanding the human cost becomes a challenging endeavor.

It has been close to two years since the Russian offensive against Ukraine at the border region. The war despite going soft now started ruthlessly back in February 2022. Since then both Ukraine as well as Russia has suffered not only in terms of economy but also in terms of headcount. 

The loss has been greater on the side of Ukraine according to global bodies. The United Nations Human Rights Office confirmed the death of 10,382 civilians and the injury of 19,659 in Ukraine. This is the recorded version and the real numbers are expected to be higher.

More than 8,000 deaths of civilians were in the controlled territory while nearly 2,000 died in the Russia-controlled places. Mariupol which is a key Southern port city was taken by Russia forcefully killing thousands of civilians. Though Ukraine's offensive has not been very strong but it resulted in the death of 138 civilians across the border. 

It is also believed that both the nation's forces have been reporting wrong figures. In a sense of public anger, the Russian and Ukrainian forces have under-reported their military casualties. Estimates have strongly come from foreign intelligence services where 5,937 Russian soldiers lost their lives in a couple of months into the war. 

Moreover, 9,000 Ukrainian soldiers lost their lives by August 2022. Such figures were not reported by the Russian and Ukrainian armies respectively. The war between the two sides is far from over as Vladimir Putin is waiting for a new phase of offensive as the US is moving towards its general election.