T + T – Normal size
Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to increase the number of Russian army personnel for the third time since the start of the war with Ukraine in February 2022, in a move aimed at strengthening the country’s military power.
Under a new presidential decree, the total number of troops will be raised to 2.39 million, with the number of soldiers increasing to 1.5 million.
Putin last December raised the army’s target to 2.2 million personnel, including 1.33 million soldiers, marking a significant increase in military strength since the start of the war. The new change represents a 50% increase from the number at the start of the conflict, which was just over a million soldiers.
There was no immediate response from the Russian Defense Ministry regarding the increase, but the ministry had confirmed in the previous increase that the coverage would be through recruiting more volunteers.
It is noteworthy that in September 2022, President Putin ordered a partial mobilization of the army in response to a series of military defeats suffered by Russian forces, which sparked widespread discontent among citizens and prompted many young people to leave the country in search of safer havens.
