Aug 25 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Thursday to increase the size of Russia’s armed forces from 1.9 to 2.04 million, the RIA Novosti news agency reported. The figure, which includes a 137,000 increase in the number of military personnel to 1.15 million, comes into effect on Jan 1.
MOSCOW, August 25 – RIA Novosti the original quoted sources says: Vladimir Putin signed a decree to increase the staff strength of the Russian Armed Forces by 137,000 servicemen. The relevant document is posted on the portal of legal information. “To establish the staff strength of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the amount of 2,039,758 units, including 1,150,628 military personnel,” the new decree says. In accordance with the previous decree of November 17, 2017, Russian troops numbered 1,902,758 soldiers and officers, including 1,013,628 military personnel.
Putin orders Russian military to boost manpower, RT reports
The document, published on the government’s website, adds 137,000 to the ranks of the Armed Forces from January 1, 2023.
It also instructs the cabinet to allocate the necessary funds for the expansion.
The move comes amid the Russian military operation in Ukraine, launched in late February.
Moscow sent troops into the neighboring country six months ago, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, designed to give the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk special status within the Ukrainian state. The protocols, brokered by Germany and France, were first signed in 2014. Former Ukrainian president Pyotr Poroshenko has since admitted that Kiev’s main goal was to use the ceasefire to buy time and “create powerful armed forces.”