On September 15 (local time), according to TASS quoting Ms. Yulia Mendel - former Press Secretary of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, only about 20-25 million people are living in the territories controlled by Kiev and the population continues to decrease.
In an article published in The Spectator, Ms. Mendel said that Ukraine has lost more than half of its population in 35 years since declaring independence, separating from the Soviet Union.
The most cautious estimates show that 20-25 million people currently live in territories controlled by Ukraine, of which about half are of retirement age.
Ms. Mendel also said that Ukrainians continue to leave the country. Those who want their children to have access to normal education and medical services are forced to migrate.
Former press secretary of Mr. Zelensky said that this situation is creating more pressure on the population size of Ukraine, in the context that the number of deaths is estimated by her to be about 4 times higher than the number of newborns.
The above figures were given by Ms. Mendel in an article discussing the demographic situation of Ukraine. These are her personal estimates of the population in the territories controlled by Kiev, in the context that many Ukrainians have left the country since the conflict broke out and part of the territory is currently not under Kiev's control.
According to information cited from previous statements by Ukrainian officials, the actual population size of the country is also a difficult issue to determine due to the lack of a new census and major changes in migration, territory and demographics.
Ms. Mendel served as press secretary for Mr. Zelensky from 2019 to 2021. After leaving this position, she continued to work as a journalist and write about the political and social situation in Ukraine.
