Former CIA analyst: Ukraine cannot release exact number of civilian casualties

According to Ria Novosti, former CIA analyst Larry Johnson expressed his opinion in an interview with the YouTube channel Judging Freedom that Ukraine cannot accurately announce the number of civilian casualties in the conflict with Russia.

During the discussion, former New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Andrew Napolitano questioned how the Russian armed forces managed to keep civilian casualties to a minimum during the special military operation, while the Ukrainian side suffered huge losses.

“That’s why it’s called a special military operation, not a war. Russia isn’t just playing with words, it’s a very specific term, and it’s a direct directive from President Putin. He understands that you can’t win by killing civilians. In fact, it can cause more problems,” said former CIA analyst Larry Johnson.

Expert Johnson noted that the Russian military was very precise and careful when carrying out attacks. And the Ukrainian authorities cannot bring charges against Russia for civilian casualties.

“Ukraine has made several allegations about Russian civilian deaths. But if it were true, they could release all the photos. But Kiev has not done so. In the Middle East conflict, we see this very clearly in Palestine,” said Johnson.

Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the Russian military in the conflict with the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not attack residential buildings and social infrastructure.

President Putin once said that the Ukrainian army used civilians as "defensive shields" during Russia's military campaign in Ukraine.