Putin to boost troop numbers to 1.5 million active soldiers

Russian soldiers march along the Red Square during a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 7, 2019. Russia is boosting its army size to 1.5 million active service personnel due to “threats” along its borders, including hostility in the West, the Kremlin said on September 17, 2024. “This is caused by the number of threats that exist for our country along the perimeter of our borders. It is caused by the extremely hostile situation on the western borders and instability on the eastern borders,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said he had ordered, earlier this week, a boost of Moscow’s army to 1.5 million active soldiers to ensure a well-trained military.

The longtime Russian leader on Monday signed a decree boosting the number of active troops by 180,000 soldiers — making the Russian army the second largest in the world by active troop size.

Russia has become increasingly militarized during the Kremlin’s Ukraine offensive and it is the third time Putin has ordered a troop boost since launching the conflict in February 2022.

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“In close cooperation between federal and regional authorities, it is necessary to solve the key task of ensuring that the armed forces are manned with prepared, trained people, prepared by personnel,” Putin said during a meeting with defence officials.

“I am referring in particular to the units and compounds of permanent combat readiness of the new military districts,” Putin added.

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Russia restructured its military districts earlier this year — forming the Moscow and Leningrad military districts — in response to tensions with the West.