Ukraine's ambassador tells U.N. the 'demilitarization of Russia is well under way'

Sergiy Kyslytsya
(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed his invasion of Ukraine sought only the "demilitarization and de-Nazification" of Russia's smaller neighbor. More than a month into the invasion, Ukraine's United Nations ambassador, Sergiy Kyslytsya, used the same phrase to highlight Russia's losses in the war.

The "demilitarization of Russia is well under way," Kyslytsya told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday. He claimed Russia has lost more than 17,000 military personnel since invading, plus more than 1,700 armored vehicles and about 600 tanks, in "an unprecedented blow to Moscow, where the numbers of Soviet losses in Afghanistan pale in comparison." Russia's loss of 15,000 or more troops over a decade in Afghanistan helped lead to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.