KYIV 

About 90,000 Russian soldiers are currently present in Ukraine, Oleksiy Arestovych, a Ukrainian presidential adviser, has claimed.

Speaking to the press, Arestovych said 22,000 Russian troops are also stationed at the border with Ukraine.

More than five million people have now fled Ukraine as Russia has commenced the second phase of its “special military operation” in the country's eastern Donbas region.

According to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the operation in the east of Ukraine is aimed at the complete liberation of the Donetsk and Luhansk republics, which Moscow recognized as independent states just before launching its war on Ukraine on Feb. 24.

* Writing by Seda Sevencan​​​​​​​