Putin Orders Russian Army to Increase Troop Size to 1.55M
The decree is the fourth force increase this year and comes as Ukraine says Russia is widening recruitment and deepening ties with North Korea.
- On Monday, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced more than 8,000 North Korean soldiers are currently on Russian territory, with preparations underway to deploy another 10,000 troops for combat operations.
- Russia is increasing recruitment through various means to offset heavy front-line losses while avoiding broader domestic mobilization, according to Ukrainian officials and months of speculation.
- In exchange for this assistance, Russia is paying with technology, including support for Shahed-type attack drone production in North Korea, Zelensky stated. "This is how evil spreads," he asserted.
- Drone strikes near the Polish border at Dorohusk damaged a checkpoint on Monday, while separate Russian attacks on Kyiv killed at least ten people, according to officials.
- NATO officials including Alexus Grynkewich say publicizing illicit networks deters Russian sabotage; the Eastern Sentry mission launched September 11 has reduced Russian drone incursions into allied airspace.
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265 Articles
Westfalenpost
Russia wants to further expand its armed forces. What Putin is planning, who could be mobilised and how high the losses are.
In total, Putin has increased the number of military personnel seven times since Russia began its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The number that should terrify Europe: Russia’s force hits 1.5 million & reason remains classified
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered another 15,500 military personnel to be added to the country’s authorised armed forces, marking the fourth such expansion in 2026. The move comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims Russia has begun additional mobilisation and says another 10,000 North Korean troops are being prepared for deployment to Russia.
Putin steps up – and orders a new expansion of the Russian military. It will be the fourth military expansion this year.
For the fourth time this year, the Kremlin leader has increased the strength of his army, and Moscow is increasing its military spending target by more than a quarter by 2027.
Putin signs latest decree increasing Russian military staff in wake of monster military budget, looming mobilization
Compared to the most recent figure from July 2026, the decree increases total staff by only around 15,500, is the fourth such incremental raise announced this year.
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