Moscow mayor says 45,000 from the city fighting in Ukraine

About 45,000Muscovites are fighting in Ukraine in combat operations, said Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow on Wednesday (August 16). This has come as a rare estimate of the forces deployed. Both Russia and Ukraine rarely announce specifics about soldiers involved in the conflict or their respective losses.

"Forty-five thousand Muscovites are fighting in the area of the special military operation," Sobyanin was cited as saying by the Russian news agency Interfax.

Sobyanin added that soldiers from Moscow represented a "considerable part" of the fighters fighting in Ukraine.

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Among them, "at least 5,000 people are professional soldiers."

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Russia's Deputy Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said that since the beginning of August, Russia has enlisted 230,00 additional personnel into the army since the start of the year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced a "partial" military mobilisation of 300,000 men to replenish troops on the battlefield. That announcement was Russia's first such mobilisation since Second World War. This sent shockwaves through the country as thousands of men were drafted into the army.

Unwilling to announce a second mobilisation drive, Moscow has since opted for a massive PR campaign, hoping to lure Russians with financial incentives.

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Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said last year the size of Russia's army would be increased to 1.5 million people, as Moscow presses ahead with its offensive in Ukraine.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

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