Putin increases Russia's regular army personnel to nearly 2.4 million
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on March 4 expanding the Russian regular army to nearly 2.4 million personnel, according to a Russian legal acts website.
This is not the first time Russia has expanded its army since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with Putin having signed a similar decree in September 2024.
Russia's regular army has grown to 2,391,770 personnel. Of these, 1,502,640 will serve as active-duty troops — 2,640 more than before, according to the March 4 decree.
The manpower balance remains strategically important as the Kremlin tries to sustain the war without full mobilization. Moscow continues to rely on contract recruitment and financial rewards to avoid the political backlash that followed the 2022 draft.
According to a decree issued in September 2024, the regular strength of the Russian army stood at 2,389,130 personnel, including 1.5 million active-duty troops.
Russia also moved from seasonal conscription in the spring and autumn to year-round conscription in 2026.
While conscripts are officially prohibited from serving abroad, reports suggest many are pressured into signing contracts with the Defense Ministry and deployed to fight in Ukraine.
Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, told Sky News on Dec. 5, 2025, that more than 710,000 Russian troops were deployed along the front lines in Ukraine. By comparison, the Ukrainian army totaled 880,000 soldiers as of Jan. 15, 2025, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Amid the growing Russian threat in the region, Zelensky continues to urge European partners to establish joint forces of at least 3 million personnel. The president also warned that Russia plans to expand its regular army to 2.5 million by 2030.
At the same time, Russian losses in the war in Ukraine continue to mount. In January, Russian troop casualties exceeded the number of newly mobilized and contracted soldiers for the second consecutive month, according to Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces.
That month, Russia recruited or mobilized around 22,000 personnel, while verified Russian losses reached 30,618 troops, Brovdi said, citing data from Ukraine's Defense Forces drone units. The figures indicate a negative balance of 8,618 personnel for the month.
