President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that 880,000 people are currently serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The head of state said this in an interview with the German TV channel ARD.
"We have 880 thousand. We have a million-strong army. And at the same time, we have 30 million people now, 30 million people are working, and maybe even a little more. I cannot say the exact number," the president said.
According to him, it is not known for sure how many citizens have left Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. In his opinion, it is approximately 6.5-7.5 million.
"So we are talking about all the people who are in Ukraine. And they all defend Europe and the world. Absolutely. At their workplaces," the president added.
Zelensky urged people to return to the country and start paying taxes: "We are talking about all people in Ukraine. They all defend the country in their places, there are defense enterprises, teachers, doctors. The issue is not that they should be in the army, we want them to pay taxes, which we use to pay taxes to soldiers. I am not shouting at Olaf Scholz to bring them back, we are in a democratic world. We need the law to work, according to which the authorities fulfill their functions."
