Moscow, December 14: President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that a total of 617,000 Russian troops are currently fighting in Ukraine. Some 244,000 of them are soldiers who were called up to fight alongside professional Russian military troops, according to the president. Putin revealed those rare details about the military operation during his year-end press conference. Russia-Ukraine War: Moscow Arrests Man With Russian-Italian Citizenship Claiming Military Sabotage Under Ukraine's Order.

Putin dismissed the need for another wave of mobilisation after drafting some 300,000 men last year in a move that proved widely unpopular.