Russia’s armed forces are expected to have a total of 1. 32 million men after the latest booster amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the country’s military to increase the number of troops from just 170,000 to a total of 1. 32 million, as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine continues into its 22nd month.
Putin’s decree was released by the Kremlin on Friday and took force immediately. It brings the overall number of Russian military personnel to about 2.2 million, including 1.32 million troops.
This is the army’s second expansion since 2018. The previous increase of 137,000 troops, ordered by Putin in August 2022, puts the military strength at around 2 million people and around 1. 15 million soldiers.
The Ministry of Defence said the order did not involve any “significant expansion of compulsory military service”, stating in a statement that the increase would be slow due to the recruitment of more volunteers. The ministry cited what it called the “special army operation” in Ukraine and NATO expansion as reasons for its construction.
Boosting Russian troops was an appropriate response to “the aggressive activities of the Nato bloc”, the ministry said.
Last December, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the country needed a force of 1. 5 million troops “to fulfill responsibilities aimed at ensuring Russia’s security. “He did not say when the army would succeed at that size.
In the past, the Kremlin considered the length of its army sufficient, but the calculation was replaced after hopes of a quick victory over its neighbor were dashed by fierce Ukrainian resistance.
As hostilities continue, the extent of the losses of the Russian and Ukrainian armies remains uncertain. The Russian military has recorded just over 6,000 military casualties, but Western estimates are much higher. In October, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Russia had “probably suffered between 150,000 and 190,000 permanent casualties,” a figure that included infantrymen killed or permanently wounded.
The Russian government has carried out various moves in the army. In August 2022, Putin ordered the Russian army’s workforce to be increased to 1. 15 million starting January 1, 2023. The following month, he ordered the mobilization of 300,000 reservists to reinforce his forces. in Ukraine. This number is factored into the existing strength of the army.
While Putin has said he does not wish to muster more, his mobilization decree is unlimited, allowing the military to call up more reservists when needed. This decree also forbade volunteer infantrymen from terminating their contract.
Across Russia’s vast territory, a months-long crusade to trap more men to enlist, with ads promising monetary bonuses, recruiters making bloodless calls to eligible men, and enlistment offices working with universities and social service agencies for academics and the unemployed.
Some media outlets and human rights teams claim that the Russian government is also offering amnesty to prisoners in exchange for an era of military service.
These efforts are in addition to the normal conscription, which requires between 120,000 and 140,000 men twice a year for a one-year period of conscription. The government insists that conscription calls are not deployed in Ukraine.
All Russian men between the ages of 18 and 27 must serve one year in the army, but a large proportion of them enlist for fitness reasons or because of deferments granted to university students. The proportion of men who are conscripted is higher in Moscow and other countries. giant cities. This year, the government raised the upper age limit for compulsory service to 30, effective Jan. 1.