Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an expansion of the military. The army will add 180,000 soldiers, bringing the total number of active servicemen to 1.5 million. This move makes Russia’s military the second largest in the world, behind China. The overall armed forces will grow to 2.38 million, according to a decree on the Kremlin’s website.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) reports that Russia will now surpass the U.S. and India in troop numbers. China remains the largest, with over 2 million active-duty soldiers.
This marks the third time Putin has increased troop numbers since invading Ukraine in February 2022. Russian forces continue to suffer heavy losses in Ukraine, fighting along a 1,000-kilometer frontline. Despite having a population three times larger than Ukraine, Russia relies on volunteer soldiers, offering lucrative contracts to recruit them.
Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of Russia’s defense committee, said the military expansion is part of a broader overhaul. He stated that it addresses “the current international situation.” He also noted the need for new military units, especially near Finland, which recently joined NATO.
In 2022, Putin already increased the army by 137,000 and 170,000 soldiers. Additionally, Russia mobilized over 300,000 soldiers later that year. Despite these increases, the Kremlin insists no new mass mobilization is planned, and the focus will remain on recruiting volunteers.
Dara Massicot, a Russian military expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, questioned whether Russia can afford this expansion. She warned that maintaining a 1.5 million-strong force would strain the budget and could require expanding the draft or allowing more women to serve.
Meanwhile, NATO head Jens Stoltenberg supports discussions on Ukraine using long-range missiles. However, he emphasized that individual NATO members will make the final decisions.
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