Zelensky claims there is a major troop disparity in Ukraine now

The Ukrainian Armed Forces now comprise more military personnel than the number of Russian troops stationed in Ukraine according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

While speaking at a press conference in Warsaw with the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Zelensky revealed Ukraine’s armed forces outnumber Russian forces. 

The Ukrainian Armed Forces tasked with defending the country now consist of 880,000 soldiers while Russian troops stationed in Ukraine only amount to 600,000. 

“Today there are 600,000—a little bit more—Russian contingent on the territory of our state,” Zelensky explained according to a translation of his comments by United24. 

However, despite the troop disparity in Ukraine’s favor, Zelensky noted that Russia still maintains a numerical advantage in some areas thanks to its troop concentrations. 

"Russian troops are concentrated in several areas, so in some areas, they have a quantitative advantage," Zelensky revealed according to The Kyiv Independent. 

The Kyiv Independent also reported that Ukraine has been struggling with a manpower shortage on the frontlines in the face of Moscow’s renewed offensive in Donetsk Oblast. 

Infantry has been the biggest issue for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. On January 14th, a scandal hit the headlines, revealing the issues Kyiv was having with its infantry forces. 

According to Ukrainska Pravda, the Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksander Syrskyi ordered Ukraine’s air force to transfer military personnel to the country’s ground forces. 

The order was issued on January 11th and sources told the Ukrainian news outlet that more than 5,000 soldiers were included in the transfer. However, this claim has been denied by the Ukrainian General Staff according to The Kyiv Independent. 

"We started taking people to the Ground Forces in the spring of 2024. But now it has reached a critical point,” one senior officer in the Air Force told Ukrianska Pravda. 

“The staffing of our units has dropped to about 50%. If we comply with the order of 11 January, which we received from the commander-in-chief, the manning of our units will drop to 40%,” the senior officer added. 

Newsweek reported that former President Joe Biden and others had previously asked the Ukrainian government to lower its draft age from 25 to 18 in order to help alleviate its manpower problems. However, this has not been done. 

Ukraine’s parliament has also taken its first steps towards mobilizing women into the armed forces. Lawmakers are reviewing an amendment to Ukraine’s mobilization law that could see women conscripted and trained for combat. 

“It remains to be seen how Ukrainian forces combat the large groups of Russian soldiers stationed in concentrated areas, and how they will continue to sustain the war effort by combating the manpower shortage,” wrote Newsweek’s Maya Mehrara. 

Despite Ukraine's manpower issues, Zelensky also noted a few positive items during his press conference in Warsaw, including the fact that Ukrainian manufacturing was making 33-34% of its annual weapons needs according to The Kyiv Independent. This figure is up from less than 10% before the war. 

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