Putin orders increased number of soldiers to 1.5 million

Putin issued this order as Moscow's war in Ukraine moves towards third year.

Putin's order, published on the official website of the Russian government, will take effect on December 1st. By this order, the total number of Russian Army personnel will reach nearly 2.4 million, including 1.5 million troops. He has ordered Government to provide the funds needed for the military.

Putin had issued orders to increase the number of Russian troops last December, when through a decree he had demanded that the total number of Russian army personnel increase to 2.2 million, including 1.22 million troops.

The Russian Army is conducting an offensive east of Ukraine, where its troops have stepped forward prominently in recent months.

In June, Putin said nearly 700,000 Russian troops are involved in what the Kremlin calls a special military operation “” in Ukraine.

After summoning 300,000 militias to face Ukrainian counteroffensive in the spring of 2022, Russian authorities decided to fill up the ranks of troops fighting in Ukraine with volunteer soldiers who have been lured mainly by high wages.

Many war commentators have stressed that the Kremlin has been reluctant to call more militias, fearing destabilisation in the country as it had happened in 2022, when hundreds of thousands of people fled Russia to avoid calling to war.

Lack of military personnel has been cited mostly as the main reason for the success of Ukraine's flight to Russia's Kursk region, which started 6 August.

The Kremlin did not want to reassemble the troops from the east of Ukraine, and for that it has relied on reinforcements from other areas to curb the Ukrainian Inquisition.

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Monday it has taken over two villages from Ukrainian forces in Kursk. /rel