HUMAN LOSSES IN MODERN WAR – CASE STUDY IN THE CURRENT RUSSIAN -UKRAINIAN WAR

Abstract

Information provided by the war propaganda, both of Russia and Ukraine, published in the mass media, exaggerates the losses of the enemy and understates their own in order to maintain the morale of the fighters and their population, but also the support of military operations’ financers. This action is also supported by censorship (military and media), but the effects, on those who receive them, can be different, depending on the veracity of the information and the goals pursued by the two actors, as well as the public beliefs. Human losses of the belligerents in the Russo-Ukrainian war, even if they are not equal in quantity, are usually comparable and even necessary to be compared in order to study the tactics and strategy used, as well as the possibility of each of them to continue the fight. The human costs of war significantly influence the achievement of victory. Also, for military planners, it is important to know the real situation, both for designing and conducting operations and for organizing and equipping the health service that supports combat actions. If there is no exhaustive estimate of the losses of the Ukrainian forces, the reason is that they are kept secret by their officials. Through indirect analyses, OSINT and medical intelligence, we present a situation as close as possible to reality.