Ukrainian army has 880,000 troops - Zelenskyy

He made this statement at a press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. According to Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian army consists of 880,000 people, while the Russian army has about 600,000. 

"Why? No matter what, even after the war, we need to understand who we are dealing with. You know, today there are 600,000 (give or take) Russian troops on the territory of our country. Maybe a bit less, depending on how our guys have been working today. As for the Ukrainian army, it currently stands at 880,000. But 880,000 defend the entire territory. Russian forces are concentrated in some areas," the president noted.

As Zelenskyy pointed out, due to this, Russia has a numerical advantage in some areas. At the same time, he emphasized that Kyiv supports the initiative for foreign contingents, but it is necessary to understand what kind of contingent it could be and what the Ukrainian army will look like.

"This is a very large army. So, games with messages about reductions and so on – we are not playing that game today. Because it is precisely such a large army that is holding back the Russians. This is also a serious, and today – the only security guarantee. Plus assistance, plus weapons from our partners. Therefore, how to maintain a large army is also part of these agreements," Zelenskyy explained.

• Ukraine conducted its most extensive long-range strike yet, targeting key Russian military, industrial, and energy facilities across 12 regions.