Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree increasing the authorised personnel strength of the Russian Armed Forces to 2,441,630.
According to the decree published by Kremlin-aligned media, the new authorised strength includes 1,550,500 active-duty military personnel.
The order represents an increase of 15,500 personnel in the overall authorised strength of the Russian military, roughly equivalent to the manpower of a full division.
It is the fourth expansion of Russia’s authorised military strength this year, following previous increases introduced in March, June and late July.
The latest expansion comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions across Europe, particularly in the Baltic region.
On September 25, Putin said Moscow was aware of what he described as alleged violations of the rights of Russian-speaking populations in the Baltic states. However, he maintained that Russia was “not preparing” for a broader military conflict in Europe.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, has repeatedly warned Western allies of what he considers a continuing risk of further Russian military aggression against European countries.
Ukrainian intelligence officials have also claimed that Russia’s General Staff is preparing to mobilise as many as 300,000 personnel annually to strengthen its operational reserves, in addition to ongoing recruitment efforts.
