Putin says over 700,000 Russian troops are fighting in Ukraine
Vladimir Putin, Russian President (photo: Getty Images)
More than 700,000 Russian soldiers are in the frontline area in Ukraine as of September 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, according to TASS.
Putin, at a meeting with faction leaders, commented on the idea of quotas for Russian soldiers in government bodies. According to him, not all Russian troops "see themselves as civil servants."
"You understand, more than 700,000 people are at the line of combat contact," the president added.
He suggested selecting from the Russian military those who "want and are inclined to this type of activity," such as those working in government bodies.
HUR information on the number of Russian soldiers
On March 3, Deputy Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Major General Vadym Skibitskyi, said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine that the size of Russia's ground army fighting against Ukrainian defenders was about 620,000 people.
He clarified that among these 620,000, more than 200,000 were assault units participating in battles and located on the front line.
Skibitskyi also added that another 35,000 servicemen of the Russian Guard were guarding key facilities in the temporarily occupied territories.
At the same time, the war also involves troops providing logistical support, units of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, and aviation.
