"We understand what it means to bury innocent people": Reznikov apologises for comparing Ukraine's war losses and earthquake victims in Turkey

Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has apologised for comparing the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the war with Russia and the victims of the earthquakes in Turkey the day before. At the time, the head of the defence ministry said that the losses of the Defence Forces were "less than the number of deaths from the earthquake in Turkey".

Reznikov apologised to the Turkish people, who might have been offended by such comparisons, and thanked Turkey for its support of Ukraine. The minister wrote about this on his Twitter account.

"I sincerely apologise to everyone in Ukraine or Turkey who was offended by my comments in an interview with the Spanish newspaper La Razon. Ukrainians sympathise with the Turkish people. We understand what it is like to bury thousands of innocent people - friends and neighbours. I am grateful to our Turkish friends for their unwavering support and firm stance on Crimea since the beginning of the Russian invasion," Reznikov said.

He apologised after the outcry over a phrase he said during an interview in which he stressed that more people died in the earthquake in Turkey than Ukrainian soldiers died in combat.

"I can't give you a figure, but I can assure you that the total number is less than the number of people killed in the earthquake in Turkey. Our main task is to save the lives of the soldiers," the Defence Minister said at the time.

In the comments under the apology tweet, some people say they don't see anything wrong with the comparison. Instead, many users thank Reznikov for his courage to admit his mistakes. Turkish citizens also write that the apology was important to them and that Ukraine and Turkey will overcome the trials they have faced.

In the above-mentioned interview with the Spanish publication, Reznikov expressed confidence that the Black and Azov Seas would be a space of peace, and that Crimea, temporarily occupied by Russia, would definitely return home

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