Putin orders Russian military to increase forces by 137,000 amid war in Ukraine
- The decree, in effect from January 1, did not state whether ranks will be increased by more conscripts, more volunteers, or a combination of both
- A retired Russian colonel said the Kremlin would likely try to keep relying on volunteers and predicted they would account for bulk of the increase
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered the Russian military to increase its number of soldiers by 137,000 to a total of 1.15 million servicemen amid Moscow’s military action in Ukraine.
Putin’s decree, which takes effect on January 1, did not specify whether the military will strengthen its ranks by drafting a bigger number of conscripts, increasing the number of volunteer soldiers or using a combination of both.
The presidential decree will boost the overall number of Russian military personnel to 2,039,758, including 1,150,628 servicemen. A previous order put the military’s numbers at 1,902,758 and 1,013,628 respectively at the start of 2018.
The Kremlin has said that only volunteer contract soldiers take part in what it calls the “special military operation” in Ukraine, rejecting claims that it was pondering a broad mobilisation.
Russian media and non-governmental organisations say Russian authorities have sought to bolster the number of troops involved in the military action in Ukraine by attracting more volunteers, engaging private military contractors and even offering amnesty to some prisoners in exchange for a tour of military duty.
Regional authorities have also tried to strengthen the ranks, forming volunteer battalions to be deployed to Ukraine.
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