Vladimir Putin signs decree raising strength of armed forces from 137K to 1.15 million

As the raging war with Ukraine continues to escalate, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a decree to raise the staff strength of the country's Armed Forces from 137,000 servicemen, bringing their total number to 1.5 million (1,150,628). According to the previous decree signed in 2017, the authorised strength of the Russian Armed Forces was 1,902,758, including 1,013,628 soldiers. According to reports, the relevant documents related to the latest decree were published on the portal of legal information. 

"The move comes to establish the staff strength of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to 2,039,758 units, including 1,150,628 military personnel," the news decree stated, as per news agency RIA Novosti. This comes as Russian forces continue to fight in Ukraine since President Putin launched a full-fledged war on February 24. Earlier in June, some Russian soldiers also complained about the poor conditions and long terms of duty on the front lines leading to exhaustion.

Russian soldiers complain of poor facilities amid war

"Our personnel have faced hunger and cold…For a significant period, we were without any material, medical or food support," stated Russian troops from the 113th regiment in Donetsk, as per The Guardian. The comments made by the Russian fighters are consistent with reports that Moscow has trouble rotating out its worn-out forces. "Given our continuous presence and the fact that amongst our personnel there are people with chronic medical issues, people with mental issues, many questions arise that are ignored by the higher-ups at headquarters,” the fighters added. 

Ukraine claims to have killed nearly 45,850 soldiers since onset of war

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry claimed that Russia has incurred heavy casualties since the onset of the war in late February. In its latest operational update, the Ministry claimed that Russia has lost nearly 45,850 soldiers, 4,245 Armored Personnel Vehicles (APV), 1,929 tanks, 1,037 artillery systems and 272 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), and at least 148 anti-aircraft warfare systems. In addition, the invaders also lost as many as 3,160 vehicles and fuel tanks, 828 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), 234 aircraft, 202 helicopters, 196 cruise missiles, 99 special equipment and 15 boats, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry stated in a Facebook post.

Image: AP