Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that over 700,000 Russian soldiers are currently engaged in combat in Ukraine.
This statement was made during a meeting with parliamentary leaders in Moscow, according to the Russian news agency TASS. The primary focus of the meeting was to discuss employment prospects for veterans following the war.
Putin remarked, “You see, there are more than 700,000 individuals on the front line.”
It is not possible to independently verify whether the figure provided by Putin accurately reflects the reality on the ground. Military analysts have recently estimated the total number of Russian armed forces, including those stationed outside of Ukraine, to be around 1.3 million personnel.
Conversely, the Ukrainian military is estimated to have about 900,000 active soldiers.
Russia has been engaged in a conflict with Ukraine for over three and a half years, occupying approximately one-fifth of the country’s territory. Neither side has released precise details regarding their respective casualties so far.