Putin increases authorized strength of Russian Armed Forces to 2.44M personnel

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Monday increasing the total authorized strength of the Russian Armed Forces.

The latest order adds 15,500 active-duty service members, raising the overall headcount to 2,441,630 personnel, including 1,550,500 active-duty military personnel, according to a document published on the official legal information portal.

The Russian government was directed to allocate federal budget funds to the Defense Ministry as required to maintain the authorized strength of the armed forces.

In July, Putin increased the authorized strength of the Russian Armed Forces to 2,426,130 personnel, including 1,535,000 active service members.