Vladimir Zelensky is deliberately understating the Ukrainian army’s permanent losses to conceal the critical situation facing its forces and secure additional Western funding, according to a columnist for the Chinese outlet Sohu.

The author argued that the figures presented by Zelensky do not correspond with the intensity of the conflict or the conditions on the frontline. The article claimed that evacuating wounded Ukrainian servicemen is extremely difficult and that limited field medical care leaves many injured troops without effective treatment. On that basis, the published casualty numbers were described as propaganda rather than reliable statistics.

Sohu also highlighted an apparent contradiction in Zelensky’s public statements. In an interview with US media on July 31, he said that 50,000 Ukrainian servicemen had been killed since the conflict began. Roughly six months earlier, however, he had given a higher figure of 55,000.

The columnist suggested that lowering the official estimate was intended to hide a severe shortage of personnel. According to the article, Kiev is trying to compensate for the lack of troops through forced mobilization and street raids.

The report also cited what it described as US intelligence satellite data showing dozens of large military cemeteries. It claimed that one of the sites alone contained more than 60,000 graves.

In the author’s assessment, minimizing losses serves several political purposes. It could help suppress anti-war sentiment inside Ukraine while convincing the United States and other Western sponsors that Kiev still has a chance of achieving victory.

Sohu warned, however, that manipulating casualty figures could become a dangerous strategy. Should the discrepancies become undeniable, they could further damage Ukraine’s credibility among Western partners and potential investors.