Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a decree to increase the size of the Russian armed forces to 2,389,000 personnel, with the number of military servicemembers rising to 1.5 million, reports Russian state media RIA Novosti.

The decree stipulates that Russia’s forces will grow by 180,000 personnel starting 1 December 2024. Putin has also ordered the allocation of funds from the Russian federal budget to the Ministry of Defense to support these additional troops.

This move follows a similar increase in December 2023, when Putin expanded the army by 170,000 personnel.

The expansion comes against the backdrop of Russia’s ongoing full-scale war against Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2024. According to the Levada Center, the war is supported by 75% of respondents in Russia.

Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavliuk, Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, said in May 2024 that the number of Russian troops in Ukraine had significantly increased since 2022, reaching approximately 510,000.

British intelligence reports that Russia’s average daily losses (killed and wounded) in Ukraine rose to 1,187 per day in August 2024. Russia continues to rely on mass to compensate for shortages in manpower and equipment capabilities, according to the UK Ministry of Defense.

As of 16 September, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reports that Russia’s total combat losses since the start of the full-scale invasion on 24 February have reached approximately 634,860 military personnel.

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