Putin Says 617,000 Troops Fighting in Special Military Operation in Ukraine

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday put the number of Russian troops in the zone of the special military operation in Ukraine at 617,000, with the contact line between Ukrainian and Russian forces stretching for over 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles).

"The length of the contact line is over 2,000 kilometers. There are 617,000 people in the combat zone," Putin said during an annual televised press conference.

The Ukrainian counteroffensive began on June 4. Kiev has thrown into battle brigades trained by NATO instructors and armed with Western equipment, including Leopard and Challenger tanks. Three months later, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Kiev's push had failed, with Ukraine suffering huge casualties. Several Western officials also admitted that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had not been successful so far.

On November 1, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny said in an interview with the Economist that Kiev's counteroffensive had reached a "stalemate."

Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Western countries responded by imposing comprehensive sanctions against Moscow, while also ramping up their military support for Kiev. Russian and Ukrainian delegations have engaged in several rounds of peace talks since then, but the negotiations ultimately reached an impasse.