Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Friday ordering a 15% increase in the number of soldiers in the Russian army. He attributed this increase to “the increase in threats” related to the conflict in Ukraine.
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According to this decree published by the government, the army must have 2.2 million members, including 1.32 million soldiers. The previous decree of August 2022 set the number of planned members at 2 million, including 1.15 million military personnel.
Specifically, this means an increase of 169,372 military personnel, or almost 15% of the current combat force, without taking civilian personnel into account.
Immediately after this decree was announced, the Russian Ministry of Defense issued a press release explaining this increase.
“The increase in the number of armed forces is due to an increase in threats directed against our country associated with the conduct of the special military operation (in Ukraine) and the further expansion of NATO,” he said.
“A strengthening of the alliance’s combined forces near the Russian borders and the deployment of additional air defense forces and offensive weapons are underway,” he assured.
However, the ministry assured that this increase in personnel would take place “in stages” based on voluntary commitments and that no “(military) mobilization” was planned.
In September 2022, faced with serious difficulties on the front lines, Russia ordered a military mobilization and urged hundreds of thousands of young men to flee the country to avoid forced conscription and spark resentment.
Since then, the front has stabilized and Russian authorities favor recruitment on a voluntary basis, promising high salaries and benefits to those who choose to enlist.