A million armed soldiers from the West, Zelensky gives orders to recover south from the Russians

Ukraine is gathering a million-strong force equipped with Western weapons to regain its southern territory from Russia, the country's defence minister for The Times has discovered.

In his first interview with a British newspaper since the beginning of the occupation, Reznikov said President Zelensky had ordered Ukraine's army to regain occupied coastal areas vital to the country's economy.

According to the Ukrainian defence minister, except for artillery, Ukrainians have numerous missile launch systems and high-tech nonpilot aircraft.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Verechuk urged civilians today in Russia's southern region of Kherson to leave immediately after the Ukrainian armed forces prepare a counteroffensive.

Ukraine lost control of most of the Kherson region near the Black Sea in the first weeks after Russia invaded 24 February. g.v/abcnews. al