Zelensky considers Ukraine military’s request for 500,000 more troops
19 December 2023, 19:04
Ukrainian Ministry of Defence statistics say the Ukrainian army had nearly 800,000 troops in October.
Ukraine’s military wants to mobilise up to 500,000 more troops to fight Russia’s invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that he has asked them to spell out their plans in detail on what is “a very sensitive matter” before deciding whether he grants their wish as the war approaches the two-year mark.
Such a major mobilisation would cost Ukraine around 500 billion hryvnias (£10.5 billion), Mr Zelensky said. Other aspects to be considered include whether troops currently on the front line would be rotated or allowed home leave after almost 22 months of full-scale war.
Ukrainian Ministry of Defence statistics say the Ukrainian army had nearly 800,000 troops in October. That does not include National Guard or other units. In total, one million Ukrainians are in uniform.
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the country’s military to increase the number of troops by nearly 170,000 to a total of 1.32 million.
Russia outguns and outnumbers Kyiv’s forces.
The around 1,000-kilometre (600-mile) front line has barely budged this year as a Ukrainian counteroffensive ran up against sturdy Russian defences. Now, with winter setting in, troop movements are being slowed by bad weather, placing grater emphasis on the use of artillery, missiles and drones.
Mr Putin said earlier on Tuesday that the Kremlin’s forces have taken the initiative in Ukraine and are well positioned for the coming year.
Mr Zelensky, speaking at a year-end news conference, insisted that the Kremlin’s forces had failed in their efforts to occupy more of Ukraine since their full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.
It was not possible to independently verify battlefield claims by either side.
Mr Zelensky said that Ukraine has received additional Patriot surface-to-air systems and advanced NASAMS anti-aircraft systems, providing medium to long-range defence against Russian missile attacks, but declined to provide more details.
They will help fend off expected Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid over the winter.
Amid signs of war fatigue among Ukraine’s Western allies, Mr Zelensky said he was confident that the US and European Union would make good on their promises of providing Ukraine with more crucial military and financial support next year.
He bluntly replied “No” to a question about whether his country might lose the war.
