The Kremlin said today that Russian President Vladimir Putin's decree to turn the Russian army into the second largest army in the world is necessary to meet the growing threats on Russia's western borders and instability on the eastern ones, reported Reuters.
Putin ordered yesterday that Russia's military be expanded by 180,000 troops to a total of 1.5 million active duty soldiers, a step that would make it the second largest army in the world after China's.
"This is necessary because of a number of threats that exist for our country along the perimeter of its borders," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a press conference.
"This is dictated by the extremely hostile situation on our western borders and the instability on the eastern ones. All this requires taking adequate measures," added the spokesperson.