More than a year and a half after beginning his war of aggression against Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered another increase in the size of his army. In the future, the number of armed forces will be increased to around 1.32 million, according to a decree published today by the Kremlin. This would represent an additional increase of 170,000 contract soldiers and conscripts, after Putin only ordered an increase in the Russian armed forces to 1.15 million men in the summer of 2022.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense immediately responded to the population’s fears that a new wave of mobilization could be planned. “The mobilization is not planned,” said the official. Instead, the focus is on Russian citizens who voluntarily join the army.
In autumn 2022, Putin ordered a mobilization, which resulted in the recruitment of around 300,000 men to the front. The measure provoked fear in parts of Russian society and hundreds of thousands of people fled abroad.