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Putin signs decree increasing number of military personnel, staff to 2.38 million

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has increased the number of the Russian Armed Forces to 2,239,130 people.
Russian soldiers take part in the 79th annual Victory Day military parade, which commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on May 9, 2024. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Sefa Karacan/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Sept. 16 increasing the number of the Russian Armed Forces from roughly 2.2 million to 2,389,130 people, including 1.5 million military personnel.

The decree will take effect on Dec. 1, 2024, and will increase the total number of Russian military personnel and staff by 180,000.

The last time the staffing level was increased was in December 2023. It amounted to 2,209,130 people, including 1,320,000 military personnel.

In August 2022, six months after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine started, the number of personnel in the Russian Armed Forces increased to 1,150,628.

The 2017 decree was in force at that time, according to which the staff should have been 1,013,628, a figure relevant at the time of the outbreak of full-scale war.

Russia conscripted around 300,000 reservists during a limited mobilization in September 2022 but has sought to avoid a wide-sweeping draft, often targeting recruits from economically weaker regions or migrants.

Ukraine believes that Russia continues to covertly recruit around 30,000 soldiers monthly, allowing the Russian military to balance out its losses.

While Moscow does not publish its casualty figures, Kyiv believes that Russian losses have exceeded over 630,000 soldiers killed, wounded, or captured as of September.

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Kateryna Hodunova

News Editor

Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

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