Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
It is the seventh time since the beginning of the invasion, Putin has expanded the Russian military.
The Russian nationa military now has a headcount of 2,441,630 personnel after Vladimir Putin has signed an executive order expanding the size of the military.
The order adds 15,500 active service members, bringing the total number of active-duty soldiers to 1,550,500.
According to The Moscow Times, the move represents the fourth time this year that the Kremlin has raised its official troop limits.
It is also the seventh such expansion since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin previously bumped numbers up in March, June, and late July. The July decree alone added 25,000 active troops to build specialized military construction units.
Money and allies
Funding this growing force requires an enormous amount of money. Draft budget projections for 2027 show defense spending could surge to 17.1 trillion rubles, which equals about $223.6 billion.
That potential increase would gobble up roughly 35% of all federal spending. But budget numbers tell only part of the story.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in an evening address that Russia has already started an additional mobilization push.
Ukrainian intelligence believes Moscow wants to draft 300,000 extra people this year.
Foreign fighters are also entering the mix in growing numbers. Ukrainian intelligence revealed that 8,000 North Korean soldiers are currently stationed inside Russian borders, with another 10,000 preparing to deploy.
Pressure at home
The troop deal comes with direct technical aid from Moscow.
According to President Zelenskyy, Russian support helped set up factories inside North Korea to manufacture Shahed attack drones.
At home, heavy battlefield losses and stalled offensive momentum are taking a clear toll on Russian recruitment.
Local military enlistment offices are already feeling the heat as expectations grow that a fresh, large-scale conscription drive could begin later this year.
