Russia is increasing the number of its army by 170,000 people.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a relevant decree.

According to a decree published on December 1, the size of the Russian army will be increased by 170,000 to 1,320,000 soldiers.

At the same time, the total staff of the army of the occupying country is set at 2,209,130 servicemen.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation explains the increase in the size of the army by the growing threats to Russia associated with the war against Ukraine and the expansion of NATO.

The ministry said that due to the increase in the number of armed forces by 170,000 servicemen, there are no plans to mobilize the country or increase conscription.

It is stated that the increase in the number of servicemen is due to the recruitment of contract personnel.

As previously reported, in January, Russia announced plans to increase the size of its army to 1.5 million troops from 2023 to 2026.

In the process, it is planned to create new military districts – Moscow and Leningrad, as well as self-sufficient groupings of troops (forces) in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

In addition, Russia plans to form an army corps in Karelia, three motorized rifle divisions within the ground forces, and two air assault divisions.

There are plans to reorganize seven motorized rifle brigades into divisions in the Western, Central, Eastern Military Districts and the Northern Fleet. They also plan to strengthen the combat component of the Russian Navy, the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Strategic Rocket Forces.

As the number of army personnel increases, the number of training grounds will also increase to ensure the practical operations of the troops.