(Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a decree to boost the maximum number of soldiers in the Russian armed forces by 170,000 individuals, as announced by the Kremlin and Defence Ministry on Friday.
Under the new document, the regular size of the armed forces has been raised to 1,320,000 soldiers.
“The expansion of the full-time strength of the armed forces is in response to the increasing threats to our country arising from the special military operation and the continued expansion of NATO,” the Russian defence ministry stated.
The ministry also indicated that the increase in the number of soldiers is the result of the recruitment of contract personnel, and there are no plans to significantly increase conscription or carry out a new wave of mobilisation.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, revealed that more than 452,000 individuals were enlisted into the Russian military under contract from January 1 to December 1, 2023.
(Reporting by Maxim Rodionov; Editing by Sandra Maler)
