On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree ordering the country’s military to increase its number of troops by 180,000 to a total of 1.5 million. This decision was made in response to Moscow’s ongoing military action in Ukraine, which has been ongoing for more than two and a half years. The decree, published on the official government website, will take effect on 1 December and sets the overall number of Russian military personnel at nearly 2.4 million, including 1.5 million troops. This increase in troop numbers comes after a previous decree last December that set the total number of Russian military personnel at about 2.2 million, including 1.32 million troops.
In June, Putin had stated that the number of troops involved in Russia’s war in Ukraine was nearly 700,000, more than half of all active soldiers. However, the shortage of military personnel has been widely cited as a key reason behind the success of Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. The Kremlin has been hesitant to call up more reservists, as in 2022 when hundreds of thousands fled Russia to avoid being sent to combat, fearing a similar adverse reaction. Instead, they have been relying on volunteer soldiers who have been attracted by relatively high wages to fill the ranks of troops fighting in Ukraine. The Russian Defence Ministry reported on Monday that they had reclaimed control of two more villages in the Kursk region from Ukrainian forces, although these claims could not be independently confirmed by Euronews.
After being faced with Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the fall of 2022, Russian authorities had called up 300,000 reservists. However, they have since shifted to recruiting volunteer soldiers to bolster their forces in Ukraine. The Kremlin has been avoiding redeploying troops from eastern Ukraine, where Moscow’s army has been on an offensive, making steady gains in recent months. Instead, they have been relying on reinforcements from other areas to stem the incursion into the Kursk region. Many commentators have noted that the shortage of military personnel and the reluctance to call more reservists have been major factors behind Ukraine’s successes in this conflict. Putin’s decision to increase the number of troops by 180,000 aims to address these issues and strengthen Russia’s military presence in Ukraine.
The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been a protracted and bloody one, with Moscow’s military actions in Ukraine dragging on for over two and a half years. The increase in troop numbers ordered by Putin is a significant escalation of the conflict and indicates the seriousness with which Russia is approaching the situation in Ukraine. The decision to increase the number of troops to 1.5 million signifies a major commitment to the military engagement in Ukraine. The Kremlin’s reliance on volunteer soldiers to bolster its forces highlights the challenges they are facing in maintaining troop levels in the conflict. Despite reclaiming control of villages in the Kursk region, the situation remains volatile, with the success of the incursion into Russian territory pointing to vulnerabilities in Moscow’s military strategy.
The increase in troop numbers ordered by Putin is a response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, where Russian forces have been engaged for over two and a half years. The decision to increase the number of troops to 1.5 million highlights the seriousness of the situation and the commitment of the Russian government to its military involvement in Ukraine. The shortage of military personnel and the reliance on volunteer soldiers indicate the challenges that Moscow is facing in maintaining troop levels in the conflict. The Kremlin’s reluctance to call up more reservists, following a negative reaction in 2022, has also played a role in the success of Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region. Despite reclaiming villages from Ukrainian forces, the situation remains uncertain, with the conflict continuing to escalate. Putin’s decision to increase troop numbers by 180,000 is a significant escalation of the conflict and underscores the gravity of the situation in Ukraine.
