Kremlin chief remains silent on victims
Putin speaks of 700,000 Russian soldiers in Ukraine
15.06.2024, 02:52
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At the end of 2023, there were still 617,000, but today, according to Vladimir Putin, there are almost 700,000 Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. The Kremlin chief has not said how high the losses are. Instead, he is calling on his army to “move the front line further”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has estimated the number of soldiers currently fighting in his war of aggression in Ukraine at just under 700,000 men. “Almost 700,000 of us are in the zone of special military operations,” Putin said at a meeting with soldiers who are being trained for leadership positions in the state.
That is significantly more than six months ago. At the press conference in December 2023, Putin spoke of 617,000 soldiers. According to Putin, Russian troops are also expected to advance further in the eastern Kharkiv region. “We are simply forced to move the front line further in the Kharkiv region in order to reduce terrorist attacks on Belgorod and other towns.” Russia has been shelling Ukrainian cities since the war began, especially the city of Kharkiv, which is close to the border. Recently, however, Ukrainian attacks on Belgorod in western Russia have also increased.
Russia superior in terms of personnel
Moscow then launched its new offensive against the Kharkiv region in May – military experts believe this was also to overstretch the Ukrainian defense lines and force a breakthrough. So far, however, Russia has only crossed the border a few kilometers.
The “10 to 15 or 17 kilometers” would not completely stop the Ukrainians from continuing to shell Russian cities, but the danger is gradually decreasing, said Putin. They must proceed cautiously. “But if the enemy continues to do what he has been doing, then we will consider how we should proceed to protect our towns,” he said, hinting at a further escalation of the offensive.
Russia invaded its neighboring country on February 24, 2022. As usual, Putin did not comment on the number of soldiers killed or wounded since then. According to Ukrainian figures, more than 500,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded since the large-scale invasion began. On the battlefield, Russia has superior personnel to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in February that around 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in the first two years of the conflict.