Ukraine’s three-year toll: 46,000 dead, families cling to hope amid forced conscription crisis

Some 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the start of Russia's special military operation against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, leaving the military to recruit among a more reluctant pool of men to fill the ranks.

In a rare public estimate, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed his military losses, noting that nearly 380,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been injured and tens of thousands are considered missing or in captivity.

The human toll of this three-year conflict is painfully evident at Maidan Square in the heart of the capital Kiev as hundreds of names and photographs with Ukrainian flags on them fill a memorial zone which has continued to expand.

The effects of a protracted conflict are felt in many places. Living not far away from Kiev, farm owner Ivan Mischenko whose son has been forcibly conscripted told his story.

One of his sons had enlisted in the army, while another was forcibly conscripted and taken away while waiting for a bus nearby. Mischenko was told he would undergo a month and a half of training before being sent to serve. Now, Mischenko has only his 18-year-old youngest son with him.

"But I'm fearful that the youngest one will be taken away," he said.

For Mischenko, his biggest fear is that the draft age will be lowered again: this is a family on the brink of losing its only pair of young working hands.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last April signed a controversial law that lowered the mobilization age from 27 to 25. Since then, conscription patrols have been frantically rounding up men of fighting age throughout Ukraine amid accusations of abuse, the use of force and corruption.

Mischenko said he used to sing in the local choir. He is eager for his sons to pick up where they left off at their last practice more than three years ago.

"But fear isn't the only thing we have. There's also hope. That's what keeps us going. With our own hands, we rebuild what we could," he said.

Ukraine’s three-year toll: 46,000 dead, families cling to hope amid forced conscription crisis

Ukraine’s three-year toll: 46,000 dead, families cling to hope amid forced conscription crisis

Ukraine’s three-year toll: 46,000 dead, families cling to hope amid forced conscription crisis

Russia said on Sunday that its armed forces were advancing across the entire frontline and had secured multiple advantageous positions, while Ukraine, on the same day, confirmed that its troops withdrew from several positions in the Sumy region.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said in its latest report that over the past 24 hours, the Russian forces had struck Ukrainian military-industrial enterprises, as well as energy, transportation, and storage infrastructure supporting Ukrainian military units.

The strikes also targeted Ukraine's long-range drone assembly sites and temporary deployment locations of the Ukrainian armed forces and foreign mercenaries, the ministry said.

Also on Sunday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that due to the rapid advance of the Russian troops, Ukrainian forces had withdrawn from multiple positions near a village located on the border with Russia in Krasnopillia community of the Sumy region.

The Ukrainian troops had continued to conduct operations in the border area, inflicting losses on the Russian personnel, and the Russian forces were currently under fire from the Ukrainian forces, the Ukrainian side said.

Russia reports advancement across entire frontline, Ukraine confirms withdrawing from Sumy positions