Russia has mobilization reserve of 20 million people - Ukraine's army chief
Photo: Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (t.me/ministry_of_defense_ua)
Russia's mobilization resource amounts to 20 million people, of whom 5 million have military experience. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi spoke about the situation on the frontline in an interview with the Ukrainian news portal LB.ua.
In particular, Oleksandr Syrskyi said that the front in Ukraine is constantly expanding.
According to Ukraine's army chief, Russian offensive actions in the Kursk operation and the Kharkiv region, particularly in Vovchansk, have led to a 200 km expansion of the front.
At the same time, Syrskyi noted that since the beginning of the aggression, Russia has increased its troop grouping in Ukraine fivefold.
"Every month, Russia increases its number of troops by 8,000–9,000, which amounts to 120,000–130,000 people per year. As of January 1, 2025, the Russian troop grouping participating in combat operations in Ukraine numbered 603,000 people, and as of today it is already 623,000," the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
In addition, Oleksandr Syrskyi emphasized that Russia is actively encouraging its soldiers with financial payments.
"They (Russians -ed.) get $20,000 to $40,000 just for signing a contract - and that's not even counting all the other monetary allowances - while a soldier receives about $2,500," Ukraine's army chief said, adding that in this way, Russia is actively encouraging its military personnel and mobilizing new forces.
"In other words, they are throwing money at people, and that is the main incentive. We can't afford that," Syrskyi added.
According to the Ukrainian military, Russia's mobilization resource consists of about 5 million people who have undergone military service and training. The total mobilization potential of the country reaches 20 million people.
In the face of such a threat, Syrskyi stressed that Ukraine needs to carry out mobilization and redeployment of military forces to counter Russian aggression.
As previously reported, the Ukrainian military command is monitoring the Russian army's preparations for an escalation of fighting in several directions.
According to Head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine, Pavlo Polisa, the Russian army plans to increase its troop grouping by 150,000 people this year. This is equivalent to approximately 15 motorized rifle divisions.
