On March 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to slightly increase the size of the Russian armed forces, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported, News.bg reports.
The document envisages the total authorized composition of the Russian army to reach 2,391,770 people, of which 1,502,640 are active duty servicemen.
The new decree increases the number by only 2,640 people compared to the level set in 2024, making it the smallest expansion of the army since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Since then, Moscow has almost every year increases the official size of its armed forces. In 2022, it was expanded by 137,000 people, in 2023 - by 170,000, and in 2024 - by 180,000 servicemen.
Analysts associate this increase with the large-scale changes in the structure of the army, announced in January 2023 by the then Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu. The creation of new military districts, formations and units requires additional personnel to fully staff them.
According to ISW, the new decree is unlikely to lead to immediate changes on the front in Ukraine. Rather, it is part of Moscow’s longer-term efforts to bolster its military capabilities for future conflicts, including a possible confrontation with NATO.
At the same time, Kremlin officials have criticized the United States for its military actions against Iran and used the escalation of tensions in the Middle East to blame Washington for possible difficulties in peace talks over Ukraine.
Other Russian officials have also cited the U.S. operations against Iran to cast doubt on the U.S. role as a mediator in the talks.
Meanwhile, Russian authorities have detained another deputy to former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. This is the fourth such arrest and analysts say it is part of an ongoing Kremlin campaign to limit the influence of people associated with Shoigu in the military and the defense ministry.