Unveiling Implications Of Putin's Decree To Expand Russian Military Forces

ISW analysts have provided the answer what hides behind this decree.

Experts say that Putin’s new decree on increasing the size of the army is not an immediate guide to action, but a formal recognition of the number that the Russian Federation should have in the future.

Analysts from the (Institute for the Study of War) ISW report that on December 1, Putin signed a decree increasing the number of combat personnel to 1.32 million people, and the overall increase in the army itself to 2.209 million people.

Back in September 2022, Putin signed a decree on partial mobilization into the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces. And in 21 months of the war, the Russian Federation lost about 300 thousand people killed and wounded on the battlefield, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on November 29.

Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev has said that since January 1, 2023, about 410 thousand people have been recruited into the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces. Experts say that the partial mobilization of 300 thousand people and the same losses on the battlefield indicate an actual increase in the Russian military by 170 thousand people. In fact, it turns out that Putin’s new decree does not establish a new size for the Russian army, but legitimizes de juro the figure that already exists de facto.