Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski stated on Tuesday, March 3, that Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to mobilize an additional 400,000 soldiers, despite the massive losses suffered by the Russian army.
In an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Zelenski specified that Russia loses up to 35,000 soldiers per month.
“It’s a gigantic number,” he said, emphasizing that “now Putin is about to mobilize 400,000 new soldiers.”
The Ukrainian president added that, although Russia is trying to supplement its forces, its army “has stopped growing,” because the losses are roughly equal to the number of new recruits. “They are immobilized, close to crisis”, Zelenski stated. He further said that “serious negotiations will begin when his army starts to shrink.”
Ukraine seeks balance between dialogue and defense
Referring to the numerical advantage of the Russian population and the continuous attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, Zelenski explained that Ukraine is seeking both diplomatic solutions and military strategies.
“We seek dialogue, we want peace. However, in parallel, we try to be strong. We produce technical resources and more drones to compensate for the lack of soldiers,” he declared.
Zelenski emphasized that Ukraine is adapting its methods of warfare to face demographic challenges and labor force constraints. “We are not losing, and Russia is not satisfied,” concluded the Ukrainian president.