Russia is increasing the staffing of its army by 170 thousand personnel. The corresponding decree was signed by the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin.
According to the decree published on December 1, the strength of the Russian army will be increased by 170 thousand, reaching a total of 1 million 320 thousand military personnel. Meanwhile, the overall strength of the army of the occupying country is set at 2,209,130 people.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation explains the increase in the army's personnel by the growing threats to Russia associated with the war against Ukraine and the expansion of NATO.
The department stated that due to the increase in the strength of the armed forces by 170 thousand military personnel, there are no plans to conduct mobilization in the country or increase conscription for compulsory military service.
It is asserted that the increase in personnel is being implemented gradually through citizens expressing a desire to serve in the military on a contractual basis.
Recall that in January, Russia announced plans to increase the strength of its army to 1.5 million military personnel from 2023 to 2026.
As part of the process, they plan to establish new military districts – the Moscow and Leningrad districts – as well as self-sufficient troop formations (forces) in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.