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According to an unnamed senior U.S. defense official, Russia wants to grow its military from 137,000 to 1.5 million. “This effort is unlikely to succeed, as Russia has historically not met personnel and strength targets,” the official said. “In fact, if you look at the Russian armed forces, prior to the invasion, they may have already been 150,000 personnel short of their million personnel goal.” U.S. officials estimate that Russia has lost between 60,000 and 80,000 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24. On Aug. 25, Putin signed a decree to expand Russia’s military to 2 million.
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