Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered the country’s military to increase the number of troops by nearly 170,000 to a total of 1.32 million, as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine continues into its 22nd month.
Putin’s decree was released by the Kremlin on Friday and took force immediately. It brings the overall number of Russian military personnel to about 2.2 million, including 1.32 million troops.
It is the second such expansion of the army since 2018. The previous boost by 137,000 troops, ordered by Putin in August 2022, put the military’s numbers at about 2 million personnel and about 1.15 million troops.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered the country’s military to increase the number of troops by nearly 170,000 to a total of 1.32 million, as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine continues into its 22nd month.
The defence ministry said the order doesn’t imply any “significant expansion of conscription”, saying in a statement that the increase would happen gradually by recruiting more volunteers.
The Kremlin previously considered the size of its military as sufficient, but the calculus changed after hopes for a quick victory over its neighbour were shattered by fierce Ukrainian resistance.
All across Russia’s vast territory, a campaign to entice more men to enlist has been under way for months, with advertisements promise cash bonuses, recruiters making cold calls to eligible men and enlistment offices working with universities and social service agencies to lure students and the unemployed.
Some media reports and rights groups say the Russian authorities also offer amnesty to prisoners in exchange for a tour of military duty.
All Russian men aged 18 to 27 must serve one year in the military, but a large share avoid the draft for health reasons or deferments granted to university students.
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