Russia's armed forces are now authorised to include 2,441,630 personnel, including 1,550,500 active-duty military personnel, marking the fourth time this year President Vladimir Putin has ordered an expansion of the military.
The growth comes days after Putin insisted Russia is not preparing for war with Europe, despite insider information suggesting the country could attack NATO countries.
Putin denies plans for conflict
Putin said: "I want to emphasise once again that we are not preparing for any military action against Europe. We have no such plans, and, most importantly, there are no grounds for them. There are no real incentives whatsoever to escalate the situation with Europe."
He claimed that European countries were purposefully escalating tensions by warning residents to prepare for a Russian attack. He also added that the rights of Russian speakers were being violated in the Baltic states, but Moscow would respond through humanitarian measures and international law and not violence, reports the Sun.
Election and mobilisation concerns
The military expansion comes a week after a parliamentary election that saw Putin's United Russia party tighten its grip on the State Duma. The election was the first of its kind since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and was portrayed as a test of support for the war. Russians were urged to use their ballots to demonstrate that "millions of people" backed the fighting, but it was critiqued as any meaningful opposition had been crushed before the votes.
Votes by Kyiv or Western governments were not recognised as legitimate, with the election held inside Russia and in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. The Institute for the Study of War said the Kremlin was looking to use the election as evidence of support for Putin's war, and it could help Moscow justify "long-term societal sacrifices such as mobilization".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that additional mobilisation has already occurred as a result. He said: "In effect, the Russians have already begun mobilisation. They are increasing the number of people they recruit through various means. They also plan to increase the recruitment of foreigners, and it is important that the governments of the countries from which Russia recruits people into its ranks counter this. We will inform every relevant government."
Zelensky warned that Putin could seek another 300,000 troops following the elections. As well as gathering more troops, it is reported that Russia will also spend around £153 billion on defence in 2027, according to government documents seen by Reuters. This amount would be the largest spend since the war was unleashed in 2022.
