Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a decree ordering a 15% increase in the number of military personnel in the Russian army, which Moscow cited as “increased threats” due to the conflict in Ukraine, as the reason for this increase, News.ro reports. .

According to the Russian news agency TASS, citing a document posted on the Kremlin’s website on Friday, Vladimir Putin’s decree is equivalent to an increase of almost 170,000 soldiers. According to the decree, the number of the army will be 2.2 million people, of which 1.32 million are military personnel.

According to the previous decree from August 2022, the planned size of the army was set at 2 million people, including 1.15 million soldiers.

Immediately after the publication of the decree, the Ministry of Defense of Russia issued a statement explaining this increase. “The increase in the number of the Armed Forces is due to the growth of threats to our state, related to the conduct of a special military operation (on the part of Ukraine) and the continued expansion of NATO,” the message says.

“The consolidation of the combined armed forces of the Alliance near the borders of Russia and the deployment of additional means of air defense and shock weapons are underway,” the Ministry of Defense reported.

However, the ministry assured that this increase in troops will be carried out “in stages”, based on voluntary commitments, and that “no (military) mobilization” is envisaged.

In September 2022, facing serious difficulties at the front, Russia ordered military mobilization, which forced hundreds of thousands of young people to leave the country to avoid conscription and sparked discontent. Since then, the frontline has stabilized, and the Russian authorities advocate voluntary recruitment, promising high salaries and social benefits to those who choose to enlist.

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