Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree
increasing the authorised strength of the country’s Armed Forces to 2,441,630
personnel, including 1,550,500 active-duty military personnel.
The latest order raises Russia’s authorised military
strength by 15,500 personnel and marks the fourth such increase announced by
Putin this year. Previous increases were made in March, June and July.
The expansion comes amid continued military tensions
linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine and growing concerns across parts of Europe
about Moscow’s military posture.
On September 25, Putin said Russia was aware of what
he described as alleged violations of the rights of Russian speakers in the
Baltic states, while maintaining that Moscow was not preparing for a wider
conflict in Europe.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has continued
to warn Western allies about the possibility of further Russian military
action. Ukrainian intelligence has also claimed that Russia is preparing to
increase recruitment and strengthen its military reserves.
The latest decree does not itself announce a new
mobilisation, and reports on the size of the authorised force should not be
interpreted as confirmation that the additional personnel have already been
recruited.
The increase follows Russia’s previous adjustments to
its military establishment this year, with the combined changes since March
adding tens of thousands to the authorised strength of the armed forces.
The Kremlin has not publicly stated that the latest
increase is linked to plans for a new mass mobilisation.
Comments:
Leave a Reply