“You Сould Become One of the 30,000.” Rutte Urges Russians to “Think Twice” Before Joining the Occupying Army

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte urged Russian citizens to “think twice” before joining Russia’s occupying forces.

He made the remarks alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press briefing at the NATO Summit in Ankara, UATV English reports.

Zelenskyy noted that Ukrainian defenders neutralized around 28,000 Russian occupying troops in June alone, with video confirmation of each case, adding that the monthly figure averages about 30,000.

“Putin is willing to sacrifice up to 30,000 soldiers on the battlefield every month. Imagine the enormous losses for their families. […] If you are a young man in Russia considering joining the army, you could become one of those 30,000 this month or next month. You know that your president, Vladimir Putin, is prepared to sacrifice you. So think twice before enlisting,” Rutte said.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has previously stated that Ukraine’s strategic objective is to increase Russian losses to 200 occupying troops for every square kilometer of advance. According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, approximately 1,412,250 Russian troops have been neutralized since the start of the full-scale war, including both those killed and wounded.

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