The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has ordered the Russian army to increase the number of troops by adding another 170,000, while Moscow continues the war in Ukraine. After this increase, Russia's army now has 1.3 million troops.
Putin's decision was announced by the Kremlin on Friday and took effect immediately. It brings the total number of Russian military personnel now to about 2,200,000, including 1,320,000 troops.
This is the second time Russia has expanded the military by this much since 2018. In August 2022, Putin ordered the addition of 137,000 troops.
Russia's Defense Ministry said the order does not mean a "major expansion of military conscription," adding that the troop increase will happen gradually by recruiting more volunteers.
The ministry justified the increase in troops with what it called the "special military operation" in Ukraine and the expansion of NATO.
"The joint armed forces of NATO are lining up near the borders of Russia, and air defense systems and offensive weapons are being deployed. The potential of NATO's nuclear tactical forces is increasing," the Russian Ministry said in a communiqué.
The increase in the number of Russian troops is a response "to the aggressive actions of the NATO bloc", she said. (A2 Televizion)
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