New York, Dec 18, (V7N) - A video shared on social media claims that ABC News reported 1 million Ukrainian soldiers have died in the two and a half years since the war with Russia began. The video, posted on Instagram and also shared by conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on X, includes an altered news clip with fabricated narration.

In the video, the narrator says, “In just 2.5 years of war, about a million Ukrainian soldiers have died,” a statement that is not supported by any credible sources or reports. The clip also mentions “hundreds of thousands” of soldiers losing limbs, but this also does not align with actual data. The video claims to be from ABC News, but the content was manipulated.

The original ABC News footage is from a March 2023 report about a nonprofit organization in New York City that helps injured Ukrainian soldiers with prosthetics. The genuine report does not mention the total number of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war. Instead, it includes a statement from a therapist who suggests that thousands of Ukrainian troops may have lost limbs. The manipulated video adds false audio over this footage, leading to the misleading claims.

In reality, there is no credible estimate that suggests 1 million Ukrainian soldiers have died since the war started. On December 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers had died in the conflict. Other estimates, like one from Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, suggest 70,000 deaths, though experts believe the true number could be closer to 100,000 based on available data.

The war continues to have a devastating impact on both Ukrainian and Russian forces, with more than 10,000 people killed or injured each week, according to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

ABC News has not commented on the altered video, and the Instagram user who posted it, as well as Charlie Kirk, did not immediately respond to requests for clarification.

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