Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree establishing the authorized strength of the Russian Armed Forces. The document was published on the official legal information portal.

According to the decree, the authorized number of the Russian Armed Forces will amount to 2,389,130 people, including 1,500,000 military personnel. The decree will come into force from December 2024.

In a previous similar decree, which was signed by Putin in December 2023, the authorized strength of the Russian Armed Forces was increased to 2,209,130 people (1,329,000 servicemen).

Thus, Putin increased the army's full-time strength by 180,000 people.

The Russian Defense Ministry has not yet commented on Putin's new decree. After the presidential decree of December 2023, the ministry said that the number of the army will be increased at the expense of “citizens willing to perform military service under contract,” so “there are no plans for a significant increase in the conscription of citizens for compulsory military service, and no mobilization is envisaged.” The ministry explained the increase in the number of the army by “the growing threats to the country associated with the conduct of the Strategic Defense Forces and the ongoing expansion of NATO.