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Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to strengthen the army by 15,500 troops, the fourth such order this year.
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“The authorized strength (…) of the Russian armed forces must be set at 2,441,630 units, including 1,550,500 military personnel,” indicates the decree.
Putin had already signed decrees increasing the size of the army in March, June and July. The cumulative increase since March amounts to 47,860 soldiers.
The Russian president did not specify the reasons for the decision, but it was taken against the backdrop of increasing losses in Moscow’s large-scale war in Ukraine.
This year, Russian advances on the battlefield have slowed, as the widespread use of drones has made it almost impossible to move large units of troops quickly. In recent weeks, there have also been reports of Ukrainian breakthroughs on certain sections of the front.
The last time Putin announced a “partial mobilization” of reservists was in September 2022, after a series of setbacks at the front. This decree remains in force.
Signs of a new mobilization?
In August, Ukrainian intelligence announced that Moscow planned to call up up to 300,000 personnel this year for deployment to the front, and the same number next year.
Several analysts, citing data on preparatory measures taken by Russian authorities on the ground, predict a new wave of mobilization as early as this fall, immediately after the State Duma elections, triggering new fears among ordinary Russians of being dragged to the front and a renewed interest in emigration.
Putin called the rumors “pure nonsense.” The Kremlin has insisted that contract soldiers and volunteers meet the needs of Russia’s armed forces, while independent analysts say recruitment among them continues to decline despite promises of significant financial rewards.
“In essence, Russia has already started additional mobilization, it is expanding the scale of recruitment into its ranks using various methods for this,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday, commenting on Putin’s decree in a video speech published on X.
“It also plans to increase the number of foreigners, and it is important that the governments of the countries where Russia recruits into its ranks oppose this,” he added.
Zelensky said he has new data indicating that North Korea is preparing to send 10,000 of its troops to Russia, in addition to the 8,000 already deployed there.
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