Moscow: President Vladimir Putin has ordered an increase in the size of the Russian army by 180,000 troops, expanding it to 1.5 million active servicemen. This move would make Russia’s military the second largest in the world, trailing only behind China. The decree, published on the Kremlin’s website, stipulates that the overall size of Russia’s armed forces will grow to 2.38 million, with 1.5 million of those being active-duty personnel.
According to data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), this expansion would push Russia ahead of the United States and India in terms of active combat soldiers, leaving only China, with its 2 million active-duty personnel, as the largest military in the world.
This is the third time Putin has expanded the Russian army since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russian forces are currently engaged in combat across a 1,000 km (627-mile) frontline in eastern Ukraine, and they have been attempting to drive Ukrainian forces out of the Russian Kursk region. Despite its significantly larger population and successful recruitment efforts offering lucrative contracts, Russia, like Ukraine, has been enduring heavy battlefield losses. Both sides have kept the exact number of their casualties confidential.
Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of Russia’s lower house of parliament’s defense committee, stated that the increase in troop numbers is part of a broader plan to overhaul the armed forces. He indicated that this expansion aligns with Russia’s need to address current international dynamics and the actions of “our former foreign partners.” Kartapolov specifically noted the necessity of forming new military units to ensure security in the northwest of Russia due to Finland’s recent accession to NATO. “For example, we now need to form new structures and military units to ensure security in the north-west (of Russia) since Finland, with which we border, has joined the NATO bloc,” Kartapolov told Parlamentskaya Gazeta, the Russian parliament’s in-house newspaper.
Also Read | Khamenei Draws Controversy with Comments on Muslim Suffering, India Offers Strong Rebuttal
Third Increase Since 2022
Since 2022, Putin has ordered two prior official increases in combat troop numbers—first by 137,000 and then by 170,000. In addition, Russia mobilized over 300,000 soldiers in September and October 2022, prompting tens of thousands of draft-age men to flee the country. Despite this, the Kremlin has stated that no new mobilization is currently planned, emphasizing a continued reliance on volunteers signing up to fight in Ukraine.
Dara Massicot, an expert on the Russian military at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, questioned whether Moscow can sustain this significant expansion financially. “There are ways to staff a standing 1.5 million force, but the Kremlin will not like them if they are truly grappling with what that requires,” Massicot wrote on X.
She added, “Are they really able to boost the defense budget to sustain procurement AND this requirement?” Massicot further explained that Moscow might have to take unpopular steps, such as expanding the draft size or altering laws to allow more women to serve in the military, to meet this goal. “Look for signs that this is a real initiative to recruit and expand, and not a kind of show to intimidate others. The current volunteer method is working but has strains. This (the expansion) means more expense/strain,” she said.
