Putin signed a decree to expand the Russian military
Vladimir Putin signed a decree increasing the authorized strength of the Russian military. The number of servicemen in the Russian Armed Forces has increased by another 7,360 and now exceeds 1.5 million. The total strength of the Russian army has approached 2.4 million people.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a new decree increasing the authorized strength of the Russian Armed Forces. The Russian army now officially has over 1.5 million service members. This was reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense. According to the document, the total authorized strength of the Russian Armed Forces has been set at 2,399,130 personnel. Of these, 1,510,000 are active-duty service members.
Putin signed the previous decree on March 4, 2026. At that time, the Russian army had 1,502,640 personnel. Thus, this time the number of military personnel has increased by another 7,360. On June 12, Russia Day, Putin met in the Kremlin with participants in the so-called “special operation.” During the event, he stated that the group of Russian troops involved in the war against Ukraine currently numbers over 700,000 people.
Over the past few years, the size of the Russian army has been steadily growing. In January 2023, the total strength of the Russian Armed Forces was 2.04 million people, of whom 1.15 million were active-duty personnel. By December 2023, these figures had risen to 2.21 million people, and the number of active-duty personnel had increased to 1.33 million.
By the end of 2024, the Russian army already numbered 2.39 million people, of whom 1.5 million were active-duty personnel. In March 2026, the authorized strength of the Russian Armed Forces was 2,391,770 personnel, and the number of active-duty personnel exceeded 1.502 million. For comparison, prior to the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian army numbered about 1.9 million people. At that time, there were slightly more than one million active-duty service members.
The last time Putin adjusted the size of the Russian army before February 2022 was back in November 2017. Since the start of the full-scale war, the Kremlin has repeatedly increased the authorized strength of the Russian Armed Forces and has been actively recruiting contract soldiers and conducting mobilization measures to replenish its personnel. This was reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
A sharp increase in the number of Russian mobile fire groups has been recorded on the approaches to the temporarily occupied Crimea; these units are being deployed along key roads and bridges. These areas include the vicinity of Chongar, the R-280 highway, and crossings over the North Crimean Canal.
