Russia's armed forces
Putin increases military troop strength to 2.4 million
Updated on September 16, 2024Reading time: 1 min.
When Moscow began its war against Ukraine, Kremlin propagandists spoke of taking Kiev within a short period of time. Moscow is a long way from that – and is now continuing to arm itself.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has increased the number of troops in his armed forces for the third time since the start of the war of aggression he ordered against Ukraine. As of December, the number of military employees should be 2.389 million people, including 1.5 million soldiers, according to a presidential decree.
It was only in December last year that Putin increased the target troop strength in the armed forces to 2.2 million people, including 1.33 million soldiers. At the start of the war in 2022, the number of soldiers in Russia was just over a million. In comparison, the new target would mean an increase in troop strength by 50 percent.
Initially there was no reaction from the Defense Ministry in Moscow to the new planned figures from the Kremlin. Last time, the authority assured that it would cover the additional staff requirements with volunteers. In September 2022, faced with several defeats in the war, Putin ordered a partial mobilization, which led to discontent in Russia and the hasty departure of many young men.
Russia has now been waging war against Ukraine for more than two and a half years. To date, Moscow has not achieved its declared war goals. The Kremlin is currently rejecting negotiations with Kyiv. The reason given is that Ukrainian troops are now also on Russian territory.
