Europe faces 'total' Russian occupation without Ukraine's army, Zelensky says
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President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that without Ukraine, Europe could face a full-scale Russian occupation due to Moscow's numerical advantage in forces, he said in a segment of an interview with The Guardian published on Feb. 12.
Zelensky highlighted the disparity in forces between Russia and Europe, saying that Ukraine's army consists of 110 brigades, while Russia fields 220 and plans to expand to 250 this year. In contrast, Europe, including U.S. troops stationed there, has only about 82 combat brigades, he said.
"Without Ukraine, Europe will be totally occupied by Russia, if they want. And I believe they (Russia) have nothing else on their mind," the president said in the interview.
"Today, an army of 110 brigades is holding back those who have 220-230. But it's one to two," Zelensky added. The president said that while Russia's numeral advantage compared to Ukraine is two to one, in comparison to Europe, it's three to one, which is sufficient for an effective offensive.
Zelensky added that Russia intends to increase its forces by 12-15 divisions — around 150,000 troops — through mobilization, training, and the addition of North Korean soldiers. According to the president, Ukraine's intelligence also suggests that new Russian recruits will be trained in Belarus.
"After that, they can launch a full-scale ivasion from there. But who said that it would be to Ukraine? Russia can invade Poland or Lithuania," Zelensky warned.
The president said on Jan. 15 that Ukraine's military consists of 880,000 soldiers, tasked with defending the entire country against the 600,000 Russian troops concentrated in specific areas.
Zelensky also disclosed in the interview that an assassination attempt on him at the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 led to casualties inside the Presidential Office.
