Putin issues decree to expand Russian military by 180,000 soldiers

Vladimir Putin issued an order on Monday to expand the Russian army by 180,000 soldiers, setting the total number of the country’s active servicemen at 1.5 million.

The decree, which will increase the total size of the Russian Armed Forces to 2.38 million personnel, is slated to come into effect in December 2024.

The Russian president has previously ordered for the military to increase its number of troops just twice since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine. The most recent expansion came in December 2023, when he called for an increase of 170,000 combat troops for a total of 1.32 million.

The Russian Defense Ministry had not commented on the new decree as of this publication. Following Putin’s December 2023 decree, the ministry said it would expand the military by enlisting “citizens willing to undergo military service by contract” and that there were no plans for a new round of mobilization.