‘Perhaps it’s all part of a clever plan’: Russian pundits and politicians react to Putin’s latest army expansion order
On September 16, President Vladimir Putin issued a decree ordering the Russian military to expand its troop numbers by 180,000 soldiers, bringing the total number of active servicemen to 1.5 million. The new policy, set to take force in December, will increase the total size of the Russian Armed Forces to 2.38 million personnel. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said the increase was necessary due to the “number of threats [on Russia’s] borders.” Radio Svoboda compiled reactions to the army boost from Russian propagandists, politicians, and analysts. In English, Meduza shares a selection of these comments.
Andrey Nechayev
Former Russian economic minister
President Putin expanded the size of the Armed Forces to 2,389,130 people, including 1.5 million servicemen. The size of the Russian [military] was last increased in December 2023, when it rose by 170,000 people to 2,209,130, with a total of 1.32 million servicemen. Are we preparing for a long war?
Pavel Danilin
Pro-Kremlin political commentator
The size of the Russian Armed Forces has been expanded to 1.5 million servicemen (for a total of 2.4 million personnel). This is the last warning to the masters of the Banderite scum.
Sergey Markov
Pro-Kremlin political commentator
No need to panic! Vladimir Putin expanded the army by 180,000 by decree not because he wanted to mobilize another 180,000 to send to war, but because 180,000 people have already volunteered to join the army by contract and are fighting for you. These contract soldiers are now being included [in the official army size]. Don’t panic!
Dmitry Stratievsky
Director of the Berlin Center for Eastern European Studies
Putin’s order expanding the total size of the Russian Armed Forces to 2.389 million people, including 1.5 million servicemen, shows one thing: The Kremlin will not be appeased. It’s preparing for a serious and drawn-out war.
Andrey Nikulin
Political scientist
All is well: the enemy is trembling, and victory is near! Our armor is strong and our tanks are swift.
Except, for some reason, the army is being increased by several hundred thousand more troops, and yet another few districts of the long-suffering Kursk region are being evacuated. Perhaps it’s all part of a clever plan to make the enemy tremble even harder…
Aleksandr Kots
Russian propagandist
“Is there really going to be [another round of] mobilization?” my followers are asking. I think that for mobilization to happen, NATO would have to declare war on us — officially, with a break in diplomatic relations. The expansion of military personnel right now is precisely to avoid having to declare mobilization.
Alexander Nevzorov
TV journalist and former Russian lawmaker
Apparently, the Russian army is preparing to bomb the Kursk region like Bakhmut and Mariupol.
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Boris Rozhin
Pro-war blogger
Some people hold the opinion that this won’t be the last expansion of the Russian Armed Forces’ numbers in the coming years. The war in Ukraine, the formation of two new military districts, and the overall strengthening of Russia’s military capabilities in various areas all require a bigger army.
At the same time, we’re now seeing the real cost of the fantasies from the 2000s and 2010s about a “small, compact, high-tech army,” which, in today’s reality, wouldn’t even begin to address the challenges we face.
Alexey Zhivov
Pro-war blogger
In my opinion, given the current and potential threats we’re facing, we need to increase the total number of soldiers and volunteers to five million people.
Is this true?
It’s unclear. In April, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that more than 100,000 people had signed military contracts since the beginning of 2024.