This is reported by RBK-Ukraine referencing President Volodymyr Zelensky’s briefing with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. This information comes from Kontrakty.UA.
It is worth noting that Zelensky made the statement about the number of military personnel in response to a question regarding the potential introduction of foreign contingents into Ukraine. According to him, this is being considered within the framework of a "future program" concerning the deployment of forces and resources.
"Why? Regardless of the circumstances, and even after the war, we must understand who we are dealing with. You know, today there are 600,000 (give or take) Russian troops on the territory of our state. It may be slightly less, depending on how our guys have performed today. As for the Ukrainian army, it currently consists of 880,000. However, 880,000 are tasked with defending the entire territory. Russian forces are concentrated in certain directions," Zelensky stated.
For this reason, in some areas, the Russians have a numerical advantage. The President emphasized that Ukraine supports the initiative for a foreign contingent, but first, it is necessary to understand what it might look like, and second, what the structure of the Ukrainian army will be.
"This is a very large army. Therefore, we are not playing games with messages about reductions, etc. today. Because it is precisely this large army that currently holds back the enemy. This is also a serious, and at the moment, the only guarantee of security. Plus assistance, plus the weapons from our partners. Therefore, how to maintain a large army is also part of these agreements," Zelensky added.
What was known earlier
President Zelensky has mentioned the figure of 880,000 Ukrainian military personnel before. A year ago, he stated this in an interview with the German broadcaster ARD.
"We have 880,000. We have a million-strong army... I can't give an exact number," he said.
The number of occupying troops as of November 2024 was estimated by a source from RBK-Ukraine in the General Staff. According to them, the Russian grouping numbered up to 575,000.
By the end of the year, GUR representative Andriy Yusov mentioned that the hostile grouping in Ukraine has a stable number of approximately 600,000.
It should be noted that Ukraine's Western partners link the recent advances of the Russians on the front with the allegedly insufficient number of Defense Forces. In this regard, there are calls to lower the conscription age from the current 25 to 18 years.
Recently, Zelensky stated that before considering increasing the army's size, it is necessary to ensure that the existing brigades are adequately supplied with weapons and equipment. According to him, over 100 brigades are currently engaged on the battlefield and require equipment.