On September 16, 2024, russian President Putin signed a decree to increase the size of the russian military with an additional 180,000 personnel to 1.5 million in total coming into effect from December 2024. This is the third decree that has been signed by Putin to increase the size of the russian military since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, the UK Defense Intelligence reports.
Russia’s aspiration to expand its military is well-established. In December 2022, then-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu called on russian forces to be enlarged to 1.5 million. Russia will likely increase the number and size of units in its ground forces to accommodate the majority of the additional 180,000 personnel. Despite the stated intent to expand its force, it is likely that this ambition will be hampered by continued heavy losses sustained in the conflict against Ukraine and recruitment challenges.
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