Russian President Vladimir Putin has directed a significant expansion of the country’s military, increasing troop numbers by 180,000 to reach a total of 1.5 million active servicemen. This move, announced through a decree on the official government website, will take effect on December 1 and will elevate Russia’s armed forces to 2.38 million personnel in total.
This increase will position Russia's army as the second largest in the world, surpassing the United States and India, but still trailing behind China, which currently has just over 2 million active duty personnel, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
This decree represents the third major expansion of the Russian military since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It comes as Russian forces make gradual advances in eastern Ukraine and attempt to push Ukrainian troops out of Russia’s Kursk region.
Previously, in June, Putin reported that nearly 700,000 troops were engaged in the conflict. Following a call-up of 300,000 reservists in late 2022, Russia has increasingly relied on recruiting volunteer soldiers, offering relatively high wages to attract them.
The latest troop increase underscores Russia’s ongoing commitment to strengthening its military presence amid the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
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