Russian President Vladimir Putin gives 'hot' instructions to the Russian army

According to Reuters updated on September 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered an increase in the size of the military from 180,000 to 1.5 million active servicemen, making this country the second largest military force in the world, after China. In total, the number of people in the Russian armed forces could reach 2.38 million.

Data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) shows the increase would put Russia ahead of the US and India in terms of the number of active combat troops. Meanwhile, the IISS says China currently has more than 2 million active military personnel.

The Russian army has an active military force of up to 1.5 million people. Photo: Reuters

Despite Russia having a population three times larger than Ukraine and having successfully recruited volunteers to fight in Ukraine, both countries have suffered heavy losses on the battlefield and there is no sign of the war ending anytime soon. To this day, both countries maintain that the exact extent of their losses are a military secret.

Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of the Russian State Duma defense committee, said the increase in active service is part of a plan to reform the armed forces and gradually increase their size to match the current international situation.

“For example, now we need to create new military structures and units to ensure security in the north-west of Russia because Finland, which borders us, has joined NATO. And to carry out this process, we need to increase the number of troops,” Andrei Kartapolov said.

Since 2022, President Putin has ordered two official increases in the number of combat troops, by 137,000 and 170,000, respectively. In addition, Russia mobilized more than 300,000 soldiers in September and October 2022 in a military exercise.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/tong-thong-nga-vladimir-putin-chi-dao-nong-cho-quan-doi-nga-346357.html