Syrsky Says Russian Grouping in Ukraine Grew to 721,300
AFU Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky said Russia’s grouping in Ukraine reached 721,300 troops and may sharply increase FPV drone use.
Russia’s troop grouping on Ukrainian territory continues to grow, according to assessments by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky. In an interview with the British newspaper The Times, he said that by the end of June 2026, the size of Russia’s offensive grouping had reached 721,300 servicemen.
Syrsky paid particular attention not only to the number of personnel, but also to the scale of drone use. According to him, the Russian army uses between 6,000 and 7,000 FPV drones on the front line every day.
The AFU commander-in-chief also said that Moscow plans to sharply increase this figure. According to him, Russia intends to bring the use of FPV drones up to 33,000 units per day. Syrsky acknowledged that such figures may look fantastic, but said that the Russian side does have such plans.
The figures cited by the AFU commander-in-chief indicate further growth in the number of Russian forces deployed against Ukraine. Back in February 2026, Syrsky estimated the Russian active army in this direction at 711,000–712,000 servicemen.
These February estimates, current as of mid-June 2026, were previously cited by the Telegram channel Strana.ua. Thus, based on Syrsky’s latest figures, the Russian grouping has increased by about 10,000 people.
The Ukrainian side views this trend as evidence of Russia’s continued buildup of military power in the conflict zone.