Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin signed a decree increasing the number of military personnel in the Russian Armed Forces to 2,389,000 people, including 1.5 million servicemen.
This was reported by Russian media, including the TASS agency.
The last time the staff size was increased in December 2023, it was 2,209,130 people, including 1,320,000 military personnel.
At that time, the Russian Ministry of Defense called the additional increase in combat personnel a reaction to the “aggressive activity of the NATO bloc” and stated that the increase in numbers would be carried out in stages through contract soldiers, while mobilization was not planned.
The new decree enters into force on December 1, 2024.
Previously, Western estimates suggested Russian casualties could be as high as 500,000 in total. The UK Ministry of Defense reported on August 3 that the past three months had been the deadliest for Russia in terms of casualties since the war began.
