Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a significant increase in the country’s military strength, adding 180,000 troops to bring the total to 1.5 million. This move comes as Moscow’s military intervention in Ukraine continues for over two and a half years.
The decree, which will be effective from December 1, sets the total number of Russian military personnel at nearly 2.4 million, with 1.5 million being troops. The government has been instructed to allocate the necessary funds for this increase.
Last December, Putin had already raised the total number of Russian military personnel to about 2.2 million, including 1.32 million troops. The most skilled Russian forces have been carrying out an offensive in eastern Ukraine, making consistent progress in recent months.
In June, Putin had reported that nearly 700,000 troops were involved in the “special military operation” in Ukraine as per the Kremlin’s classification.