Putin raises Russian active-duty force to 1.51 million
The new ceiling puts Russia's armed forces at 2,399,000-plus personnel, up 7,360 from the March order.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on June 12 raising the number of active-duty military personnel to 1,510,000. Under the rule published on Russia's official legal-acts portal, the total authorized strength of the Russian Armed Forces now reaches 2,399,130. That is up from the March decree, when active-duty personnel were set at 1,502,640. ANTARA reported the latest increase adds 7,360 active soldiers. At the same time, Putin also said more than 700,000 Russian troops have been deployed to the “special military operation” zone, Moscow's term for the war in Ukraine. Tribunnews reported the move comes as Russia faces pressure on the battlefield and Ukrainian drone threats that the Kremlin acknowledges as a daily challenge.