FACT CHECK: No, Outlet Did Not Report 70,000 Ukrainian Troops Died In Kursk

A post shared on X claims a British outlet reported 70,000 Ukrainian troops died in Kursk.

UK Newspaper says 70,000 Ukrainian Soldiers perished in Kursk.

Seems awfully high, no? pic.twitter.com/YBYPfGFCN0

— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) March 15, 2025

Verdict: False

There is no evidence that this outlet reported this. There is no evidence that 70,000 Ukrainian troops died in the Kursk offensive.

Fact Check:

Ukraine has lost much of its Kursk territory it initially seized in August 2024, according to The New York Times. Russia is currently battling Ukraine for the remaining sliver that the Ukrainians hold, per the outlet.

Social media users are claiming that a UK newspaper stated that 70,000 Ukrainian soldiers perished in Kursk. One user wrote, “UK Newspaper says 70,000 Ukrainian Soldiers perished in Kursk. Seems awfully high, no.” (RELATED: Did Trump Make An X Post With A Referral Link Providing A Discount On Tesla Purchases?)

There is no evidence for this claim. Check Your Fact found the March 13 cover of the Hull Daily Mail, and it does not state that 70,000 Ukrainian troops perished in Kursk. The Hull Daily Mail website also does not have an article stating that 70,000 Ukrainian troops died.

A wider internet search also did not yield any results for this alleged Hull Daily Mail cover. The UK Defense Journal reported that Hull Daily Mail is a regional paper and “was an odd vehicle for reporting such a significant international claim.”

No media outlets have reported that 70,000 Ukrainian troops have died in Kursk. Dara Massicot, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told NPR in August 2024 that she estimated there were between 10-12,000 Ukrainian troops in Kursk. The Economist reported that the “Russians had also massed at least 50,000 troops, four times the Ukrainians’ numbers,” which would mean that Ukraine had between 12-13,000 troops in March.