Putin Orders Third Military Expansion Since Ukraine Invasion

Russia to Increase Troops by 180,000 Amid Ongoing Conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a decree ordering the third expansion of the armed forces since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The move will increase the number of troops by 180,000, bringing Russia’s total military personnel to nearly 2.4 million, including 1.5 million soldiers.

The decree comes a month after Ukraine launched a counterattack across the border into the Kursk region, which Russia considers an attack on its territory. In response, Russia is launching a counter-offensive to expel Ukrainian troops and move closer to key cities in the Donbass region.

Previous Military Expansions

This is not the first time Putin has ordered an increase in troops since the war began. In August 2022, he ordered an increase of 137,000 troops, bringing the number of Russian troops to 1.15 million.

A month later, after Ukraine’s successful counterattack in the Kharkiv region, Putin ordered a “partial mobilization,” conscripting citizens into the army and mobilizing reserve troops. The target was to recruit 300,000 troops, but tens of thousands of Russians fled the country instead.

The mobilization order was canceled in November 2023, with the government claiming that recruitment targets had been met. Then, in December, Putin ordered a troop increase of 170,000, bringing the number of Russian troops to 1.32 million.

Impact of the War on the Russian Army

The damage to the Russian army in the war against Ukraine remains unclear. The last official casualty figures were released in September 2022, with 5,937 soldiers reported dead. However, the Ukrainian side and Western countries estimate that Russia could have lost up to 616,000 soldiers.

Putin’s latest decree is set to come into force in December 2024, marking the third significant expansion of the Russian military since the war began.