President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to increase the size of Russia's armed forces to more than 2.4 million personnel, including over 1.5 million military staff, according to a government website post.
The announcement comes as the war in Ukraine continues with no sign of slowing, and as Russia's economy reportedly faces severe strain from military expenditure and Western sanctions.
Decree orders budget allocation for expansion
The decree states that the Government of the Russian Federation shall provide for the allocation of budgetary appropriations from the federal budget to the Ministry of Defence necessary for the implementation of the order. It makes little note of how an already cash-strapped Russia will pay for the reinforcements.
While the precise number of individuals serving in Russia's armed forces is difficult to ascertain, experts currently estimate around 700,000 troops are serving in Ukraine, with about 600,000 more acting as reservists or deployed elsewhere.
Heavy losses and economic decline
The conflict has proved extremely testing for Russia. The Centre for Strategic and International Studies estimated roughly 1.4 million Russian battlefield casualties, including killed, wounded and missing, from the invasion in February 2022 through June 2026.
Financially, Russia recorded a deficit of 5.73 trillion roubles in early 2026, according to government budget figures. Deputy finance minister and central-bank official Oleg Vyugin recently warned that the war "will require a further round of tax increases" and that "a further decline in the country's economic potential will become unavoidable."
Reliance on North Korean reinforcements
Putin has also relied heavily on reinforcements from ally North Korea, with tens of thousands of troops from Kim Jong Un's nation joining the battlefield. South Korean intelligence estimated in February that about 6,000 of those troops had already been killed or wounded.
