Zelensky: Approximately 20,000 people have died in Mariupol.

President Zelensky discussed this in an interview with Italian journalist Cecilia Salli for the newspaper Il Foglio, a segment of which was published on the president's page.

The journalist asked Zelensky if he could provide the number of casualties in the occupied territories, including Mariupol.

The head of state responded that it is difficult to ascertain this without "appropriate work" on the ground. However, he added that, according to the information he received, around 20,000 people died in Mariupol.

“There were hostilities there, and many were injured or died under the rubble. That's why they (the Russian authorities - ed.) wanted to restore the buildings so quickly... It's not just for show, not just marketing, but primarily to conceal the killings,” the president noted.

Additionally, according to Zelensky, the Russians evacuated 19,500 children from the occupied south.

It is worth mentioning that according to UN data, since February 24, 2022, 12,456 civilians have been killed in Ukraine. Another 28,382 have been injured.

In December 2024, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission documented the lowest number of civilian casualties since the beginning of the full-scale invasion—105 people.

At the same time, the UN has repeatedly pointed out that the number of civilian casualties is likely underestimated, as it is impossible to obtain accurate data from cities where prolonged intense hostilities occurred at the start of the invasion in 2022, such as Mariupol, Lysychansk, Popasna, and Severodonetsk.