Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered an increase in the size of the Russian military by 180,000 troops, raising the total number of active servicemen to 1.5 million, Reuters reports.
The overall size of the Russian armed forces will now be 2.38 million. This is the third expansion since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with previous expansions adding 137,000 and 170,000 troops. Additionally, Russia conducted a partial mobilization of over 300,000 soldiers in late 2022. The Kremlin has stated that no new mobilization is planned and will instead focus on recruiting volunteers with attractive contracts to fill the ranks.
