Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Friday, December 1, boosting troop numbers by 15 percent, in a move the army said was due to "threats" associated with the Ukraine offensive. The move comes as both Ukraine and Russia seek to gain ground and replenish their ranks in the conflict, whose front lines have barely moved in recent months.

Putin's decree takes force immediately and increases the number of troops by nearly 170,000. It brings the overall number of Russian military personnel to about 2.2 million, including 1.32 million troops.

It is the second such expansion of the army since 2018. The previous boost by 137,000 troops, ordered by Putin in August 2022, put the military's numbers at about 2 million personnel and about 1.15 million troops.

The Defense Ministry said the order doesn't imply any "significant expansion of conscription," saying in a statement that the increase would happen gradually by recruiting more volunteers. The ministry cited what it called "the special military operation" in Ukraine and the expansion of NATO as the reasons for beefing up the army.

NATO's "joint armed forces are being built up near Russia’s borders and additional air defense systems and strike weapons are being deployed. The potential of NATO’s tactical nuclear forces is being increased," the statement read. Boosting Russian troops is an appropriate response to "the aggressive activities of the NATO bloc," the ministry said.

Last December, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu declared that the country needed a force of 1.5 million "to guarantee the fulfillment of tasks to ensure Russia's security." He didn't say when the military would reach that size.

The Kremlin previously considered the size of its military as sufficient, but the calculus changed after hopes for a quick victory over its neighbor were shattered by fierce Ukrainian resistance.