According to the decree, the number of military personnel of the Russian army will be increased by approximately 170 thousand people. signed President Vladimir Putin.
The document states “to establish the personnel level of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation at 2,209,130 units, including 1,320,000 military personnel.”
Increasing the army to the required number at the expense of citizens who want to serve under contract, explained In the Ministry of Defense.
“There are no plans to significantly increase the recruitment of citizens into compulsory military service. In the statement made by the ministry, it was stated that there was no provision for mobilization.
The Ministry of Defense announced that the numbers should be increased with the expansion of the North Atlantic Alliance, the continuation of the military operation in Ukraine and “increasing threats to the country”. According to the ministry, NATO is withdrawing more forces to the Russian border and deploying air defense systems and offensive weapons.
“The potential of NATO’s tactical nuclear forces is being increased. The US plans to replace 200 old free-fall nuclear bombs in Europe and Turkey with new, high-precision versions by the end of 2025. <...> “A further increase in the combat power and size of the armed forces is an adequate response to the aggressive activities of the NATO bloc,” the ministry said.
Before the start of the special military operation, the normal number of military personnel in the Russian army was 1,013,628 people. By Presidential Decree dated 25 August 2022 augmented For 150 thousand military personnel.
The number of contract soldiers is increasing
December 1, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev reportedIt was stated that since the beginning of 2023, more than 452 thousand people have entered military service “in line with the interests of the joint forces group”. He listed Moscow, Chechnya and Sevastopol among the regions whose residents were most actively sent to service.
“I would like to note the systematic approach of the leadership of a number of constituent organizations of the Federation, in particular the capital, namely Moscow, Sevastopol and the Chechen Republic, to support the cadre of the joint troop group. contract soldiers,” said the Security Council vice president.
According to him, more than 30 thousand residents of Chechnya are participating in the conflicts on Ukrainian territory.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced in November that the Ministry of Defense’s contract recruitment mission was completed ahead of schedule. According to that wordsMore than 22 thousand people have registered for military service since the beginning of the year.
In October, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov attributed the increase in the recruitment rate for military service to the increasing level of consolidation in Russian society and the financial conditions provided to military personnel.
“The level of consolidation is increasing, there are good financial conditions… For many people, these conditions are decisive, so citizens make a similar decision themselves,” Peskov said.
Source: Gazeta
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.