Putin said 700,000 soldiers

Moscow (dpa) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia has some 700,000 soldiers deployed in the Ukraine war.

He said during his annual press conference and public Q&A session in Moscow that these are predominantly quite young people, including the generations of the 1990s.

When asked about the accusation that this age group constitutes a lost generation, he said: “Well, we live under the conditions of the military special operation.” This is how the Kremlin officially refers to its war against Ukraine.

At the same time, Putin’s annual TV show – which includes a press conference and a session including questions fielded by the Russian public – also repeatedly addressed the demand for young people in Russia to have more children.

The demographic problems of the country are worsening due to the war and the many soldiers killed, with Putin recently lamenting the fact that birth rates continue to decline despite many government measures.

As early as September, Putin spoke of more than 700,000 people at the front. Kiev mentioned a similar number, although this also included members of special units and support services. How many are directly fighting at the front remains unknown.

Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost four years ago. Since then, Russia has been waging a destructive war of aggression against the neighbouring country, suffering heavy losses.