The ground part of the Russian group, located on the territory of Ukraine, is approximately 470 thousand military personnel.
This was reported by the Deputy Chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence, Vadym Skibitsky, in an interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
"If we talk about what has changed during this time, it is the number of groups deployed on our territory. Currently, the land component, the land part of the group, which is located on the territory of Ukraine, is about 470 thousand military personnel. And this is only the land component, I do not include aviation, we do not count here the Navy, which is also involved in conducting operations, in carrying out strikes," he said.
According to him, out of 470,000, 33,000 are Russian Guard troops, and they are concentrated in the occupied territories. "These are the people who ensure the activity of the occupying power, the protection of strategic objects and, if necessary, can perform defense tasks in the temporarily occupied territories," Skibitskyi added.
Additionally, a group covering the Russian border appeared on the territory of three regions — Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk.
- In mid-January 2024, intelligence counted 462,000 occupiers in Ukraine, of which 35,000 were servicemen of the Russian Guard.
- For comparison, in February 2022, when Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, there were almost 190,000 military personnel on the Ukrainian border. In December 2023, according to Intelligence estimates, there were 443,000 occupiers of the Russian army and another 30,000 from the Russian Guard in Ukraine. That is, the number of the occupation contingent is constantly increasing.