RussianΒ President Vladimir Putin has ordered the countryβs military to increase its number of troops by 180,000, the third time he has expanded its ranks since launching his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The increase would take the overall number of Russian military personnel to nearly 2.4 million, including 1.5 million troops, according to theΒ decreeΒ published by the Kremlin Monday. The new staffing will come into effect in December, it said.
Putinβs decree comes after Ukraine last month launched a lightning attack across the border on Russiaβs southern Kursk region β the first foreign invasion of Russian territory since World War II. Last week, Russia stepped up its efforts to expel Ukrainian troops from Kursk and is inching forward toward the crucial Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk in the eastern Donbas region.
