Putin signs decree increasing Russian army: more than 2.4 million, including 1.5 million military personnel on active duty

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday September 28 increasing the size of the Russian armed forces to 2.4 million, including 1.5 million active military personnel.

The document, No. 700, was published on Russia’s official legal information portal, marking the fourth time such a decree has been signed this year, according to Russian state media TASS.

The document also instructs the Russian government to allocate funds from the federal budget that the Russian Defense Ministry needs to carry out this increase.

The announcement comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Monday that Russia has already begun additional mobilization and is expanding its reliance on North Korean troops, with more than 8,000 already in Russia and up to 50,000 more planned.

Nearly 50,000 more since March

The new ceiling is 15,500 higher than that set in a decree that entered into force on August 1, which sets the military strength at 2,426,130 people, including 1,535,000 soldiers.

In March, a presidential decree set that total at 2,391,770, and a June decree raised it to 2,399,130.

Overall, the authorized size of the Russian army has increased by 49,860 troops since March, according to TASS.

Kyiv Post has not independently verified these figures.

Zelensky: Russian mobilization has already begun

Citing new data from Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR), Zelensky said that more than 8,000 North Korean military personnel are currently in Russia and preparations are underway to deploy an additional 10,000.

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Russian drone strikes again near Yahodyn border crossing with Poland

Poland put its planes and air defenses on alert as the strike forced the evacuation of the crossing, marking the second Russian strike near the Ukrainian village this month.

“They have increased the number of people recruited by different methods. They plan to increase and attract foreigners,” Zelensky warned.

Currently, one in ten Russian prisoners of war held in Ukraine is a foreign citizen.

Ukraine’s “I Want to Live” project – which helps Russian soldiers surrender – has registered at least 55 nationals, largely from third world countries.

For several months, the Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly warned of a possible mobilization by Moscow in the fall of 2026, following the legislative elections to the Duma, which were held for the first time since the start of the war in Russia.

In July, the Ukrainian military and foreign intelligence services estimated that the Russian General Staff had developed a plan to mobilize an additional 600,000 personnel – 300,000 in 2026 and another 300,000 in 2027.

Several preparatory measures have been cited as signs of possible mobilization, including stricter controls on military registrations and additional sanctions for failure to comply with electronic summons.

The Kremlin systematically denies any new mobilization.

Meanwhile, military cooperation ties between Moscow and Pyongyang appear to be deepening, with North Korea becoming one of Russia’s most important war partners, providing troops, weapons and manpower in exchange for financial and technological support.

Escalation warnings on NATO territory

Since at least the start of the year, several EU member states have warned that the conflict in Russia could extend beyond Ukraine’s borders and reach NATO’s doorstep.

The decree comes just days after Putin on Friday (September 25) denied that Moscow was preparing for war with Europe while accusing the Baltic states of violating the rights of Russian speakers and promising that Russia would continue to fight for them.

In the same remarks, he also ridiculed Estonia’s security concerns as “political clowning.”

To justify its pressure on its neighbors, including Ukraine, before the launch of the large-scale invasion, the Kremlin has long cited alleged discrimination against Russian minorities.

Moscow has also repeatedly denied its intention to attack Ukraine. He continues to call the war in Ukraine a “special military operation,” downplaying its importance.

This is precisely why concern continues to grow within NATO’s eastern flank.

Lithuania recently strengthened protection of critical infrastructure, while the United States confirmed a new troop rotation in the country.

Citing intelligence reports, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on September 17 that Russia was planning hybrid drone or missile strikes against countries supporting Ukraine, including Poland, which Moscow could try to pass off as accidents.

Several member states of the bloc have already stopped calling drone incursions, sabotage campaigns and frequent airspace violations hybrid attacks and incidents, instead calling them direct attacks.

Speaking at the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Zelensky again warned that Russia could target another European country with drones, missiles or even a ground operation in a bid to break Western unity and distract from its battlefield losses.

Around the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who represented Russia at the UNGA while Putin was not present, claimed that Europe could face a “self-fulfilling” prophecy due to its heavy defense spending.

On September 11, Dmitry Medvedev, former president and current vice-president of the Russian Security Council, threatened Lithuania with “disappearing from the world map” in the event of a conflict linked to the lifting of the ban on nuclear weapons in Vilnius.

He also said NATO would not invoke Article 5 to defend the country because it would mean a “global catastrophe.”

A week later, Lithuania announced an evacuation plan for Vilnius.

“One of the evacuation directions from the capital should be Poland,” Žygimantas Solovjovas, head of the civil protection department of Vilnius Municipality, told Polish radio.