Putin expands Russian army size for sixth time since full-scale invasion of Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree raising the authorized army strength to 2,426,130 personnel, with 1,535,000 service members, marking the sixth expansion since the war began.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a new decree increasing the size of the Russian army. According to the document, the authorized personnel level rises to 2,426,130, with the number of service members reaching 1,535,000, up from 1,510,000 previously.
The decree takes effect on August 1 and is tied to the creation of military construction units within the Russian Armed Forces. This is the third adjustment to the army's size in the last six months, following two earlier decrees signed in March and June 2026.
The previous decree, signed just over a month ago, had set the authorized strength at 2,399,130 personnel, with no specific reason given for that increase.
Since launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Putin has expanded the army's size six times. These moves indicate Russia's ongoing efforts to bolster its military capabilities amid the protracted conflict and associated losses.
