Russia will surpass the US in military numbers

Russian tanks in battle

Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense

Russia recaptured two villages in Kursk?

On September 16, the Russian army announced that it had regained control of two villages in the western Kursk province, and considered this proof of an effective counter-offensive campaign against the Ukrainian army.

The two villages mentioned in the Russian Defense Ministry report are Uspenovka and Borki. They are about 20 kilometers apart on the Russian border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast.

Flashpoints: Ukraine supporter attempts to shoot Trump; Houthi fires missiles at Israel

Kyiv authorities have not commented on the announcement.

A senior Russian commander said last week that his army had regained control of about 10 settlements, while Ukraine said it held about 100 villages in Kursk, spread over an area of ​​more than 1,300 ^square kilometers.

Meanwhile, Russian forces announced they were continuing their advance east of Ukraine towards Pokrovsk, an important railway and logistics hub for the Kyiv government's military.

Successful control of Pokrovsk would mark a major step forward for Russia in its efforts to control all of Donetsk.

Ukraine has not commented on the developments regarding Pokrovsk.

Ukraine takes advantage of drones on the battlefield

Ukraine creates unmanned drone force

On September 16, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree establishing a new branch of the armed forces, which will focus on using unmanned systems, according to Kyiv Independent .

Mr Zelensky first announced plans to create the Unmanned Systems Force in February, emphasizing the importance of drones on Ukraine's fronts.

Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Vadym Sukharevskyi was appointed commander of the youngest force of the Ukrainian army.

US wants to discuss strategy with Ukraine

The Unmanned Systems Force was created to improve Ukraine's work with drones, create "special" drone units, improve production, training, and build new unmanned vehicles.

The launch of the new force comes after the Ukrainian military said it had successfully developed and used a range of air, sea and ground drones for reconnaissance, combat and other missions in its ongoing conflict with Russia.

Ukraine aims to produce 1 million drones this year, in addition to thousands of other unmanned systems donated by foreign partners.

Russia expands its military

Russian military parade on Red Square in Moscow

On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the expansion of the standing army to 1.5 million people, an increase of 180,000 people compared to before.

Specifically, according to the decree published on the Kremlin's website, Mr. Putin decided to increase the size of the armed forces to 2.38 million people, of which 1.5 million are active soldiers.

By the time the decree officially takes effect on December 1, Russia will have surpassed the United States to become the world's second largest army. China is in first place with more than 2 million active troops.

Biden said he was not afraid of Putin but had not allowed Ukraine to fire long-range missiles at Russia.

This is the third troop increase since Moscow launched a special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. The previous two waves, in August 2022 and December 2023, saw the Russian army increase by 137,000 and 170,000 soldiers to 1.15 million and 1.32 million soldiers, respectively.

In addition, from September to October 2022, Russia mobilized more than 300,000 soldiers.

The Kremlin said there were no plans for a new mobilization, but the government would continue to rely on the contract recruitment mechanism to maintain the necessary numbers for special operations, according to TASS.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chien-su-ukraine-ngay-936-nga-se-vuot-mat-my-ve-quan-so-185240916205529951.htm