Putin orders Russian forces to be strengthened, becoming the second largest army in the world

Photo: REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov/File photo.

In a decree posted on the Kremlin's website, Mr. Putin ordered an increase in the overall size of the country's military to 2.38 million soldiers, of which 1.5 million will be on active duty.

The increase would put Russia ahead of the United States and India in terms of deployable troops and second only to China in size, according to data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a leading global military think tank. Beijing currently has more than 2 million active military personnel, the IISS said.

The decision is the third major military expansion that Putin has made since launching a special operation in Ukraine in 2022, and comes as Russian forces continue their gains in eastern Ukraine and continue their efforts to push Ukrainian forces out of Russia's Kursk region.

Despite having a population more than three times that of Ukraine and having regularly recruited volunteers to fight in Ukraine on lucrative contracts, similar to Kyiv forces, Russian forces are also suffering heavy losses on the battlefield and there is no sign of the war ending anytime soon.

Both sides say the exact casualty figures are a military secret.

Andrei Kartapolov, Chairman of the Defense Committee in the Russian State Duma, said that this increase in active troops is part of a plan to reform the armed forces and gradually expand their size to better suit the international situation as well as the behavior of Russia's "former foreign partners."

"For example, we need to create new military agencies and units to ensure security in the northwestern region (of Russia) because Finland, which borders Russia, has joined NATO," Kartapolov told Parlamentskaya Gazeta, the internal magazine of the Russian parliament .

"And to make this progress, we need to increase our numbers."

Third increase decision from 2022

Since 2022, Putin has twice signed decrees requesting an increase in combat troops, with increases of 137,000 and 170,000.

In addition, Russia also mobilized more than 300,000 soldiers in September 2022 and October 2022 to participate in a military exercise that caused tens of thousands of men of military age to leave the country.

However, the Kremlin has said there are currently no plans for new troop mobilizations, and will continue to rely mainly on contracted volunteers to fight in Ukraine.

Dara Massicot, an expert on the Russian military at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace , expressed skepticism about Moscow's willingness to pay for the increase in active-duty troops.

On X, Massicot wrote: "There are many ways to finance a force with 1.5 million active servicemen, but the Kremlin would not be satisfied with these options if it really understood the requirements behind them."

"Are they really able to shore up the defense budget to maintain this level of weapons procurement and this requirement?"

Massicot, a researcher who has published a report on Russia's efforts to rebuild its military, said Moscow could make difficult and unpopular decisions like increasing recruitment levels or changing laws to allow more women to serve in the military to achieve this goal.

"Look at the signs that this is a real decision to recruit and expand the force, and not a threat. The current volunteer recruitment method is effective but brings some pressure. (The decision to expand the force) this time will bring more costs and pressure."

Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/ong-putin-ra-lenh-yeu-cau-luc-luong-nga-cung-co-tro-thanh-quan-doi-lon-thu-second-the-gioi-204240917102043893.htm