Russia focuses massive military buildup near Ukraine, intelligence says

Lina PortmanJune 6, 2024

0 2 minutes read

Russia has concentrated around 550,000 occupiers in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and near the border, a source in the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Defense Ministry told LIGA.net.

Earlier, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Russia was deploying more personnel and equipment to the front. The minister said Russia has about 500,000 troops stationed in Ukraine and near its borders, and plans to increase that number by another 200,000 to 300,000.

Umerov once again called on Western partners to provide more weapons, as the country needs more firepower, including long-range missiles. He said Ukraine was grateful for the military aid and weapons provided by its allies, but only half of the promised equipment had arrived on time, benefiting Russia in its new offensive on the Kharkiv Oblast.

Sources told LIGA that the current number of Russian forces stands at 520,000 troops. Paramilitary units fighting alongside Moscow are not included in this figure.

The source noted that 32,000 members of the Russian National Guard, Federal Security Service and other security forces carrying out law enforcement functions are serving in the temporarily occupied territories.

At the same time, on February 24, 2022, the day Russia began its war against Ukraine, the number of Russian invaders entering Ukraine was estimated at 180,000 troops. In November 2023, there were more than 400,000 occupants on Ukrainian territory.

Meanwhile, a new study shows that 49% of German citizens support allowing Ukrainian attacks with Western weapons against targets in Russia, while 44% oppose it.

Germans divided on whether to allow Ukraine to strike targets in Russia, poll finds

Germany was reluctant to allow Ukraine to strike inside Russia, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz saying he saw no reason to expand the area in which Ukraine could resort to German military aid . He later said Ukraine had the right “under international law” to defend itself against attacks on Kharkiv across the Russian border.

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