“As noted in ISW, from 2022 the target size of the Russian armed forces has increased by approximately 350,000 servicemen”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
According to the report, the Russian president’s decree to increase the number of Russian Armed Forces means that the Russian military leadership will increase its efforts to recruit and build troops to reach 1.5 million servicemen starting in December 2024.
Analysts believe that this decree is not an indicator of a new wave of mobilization, but rather indicates the breadth of recruiting opportunities currently used by the Russian military.
ISW recalls that former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu first set the goal of reaching 1.5 million military personnel by December 2022, noting that this number included 695,000 contractors.
Analysts note that Russia’s efforts to increase the size of the armed forces are part of a longer-term Russian goal that goes beyond the war in Ukraine and aims to increase the size and overall capabilities of the Russian armed forces through reforms.
“As the Russian armed forces begin to create new divisions, army corps and armies, their staffing should increase in parallel, at least on paper. However, Russia’s ability to properly implement these reforms and integrate increased personnel depends in part on the continuation of the war in Ukraine,” the report said.
On September 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to increase the strength of the Russian Armed Forces to 1.5 million, which is 180,000 more than in the last decree to increase the strength of the Russian Armed Forces, which Putin signed in December 2023. The December 2023 decree increased the number of personnel by 170,000 compared to August 2022. That is, as ISW noted, from 2022 the target size of the Russian armed forces has increased by approximately 350,000 servicemen.