Putin Orders Russian Military to Boost Numbers by 180K

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Facts

  • Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin ordered his country's military to expand troop numbers by 180K on Monday — taking the number of Russian military personnel to about 2.4M, including 1.5M combat troops.[1]
  • The presidential decree, which goes into effect in December, is the third time Putin has expanded the size of Russia's military since the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict more than two-and-a-half years ago. When in place, it will make Russia's military the second largest in the world behind China.[2][3]
  • Meanwhile, Britain's Foreign Minister David Lammy said the UK was still discussing with allies whether to accede to Ukraine's repeated requests for using Western-provided long-range weapons to strike inside Russia.[4]
  • There was no decision made on the matter during a visit from British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to US Pres. Joe Biden in Washington last Wednesday. However, reports suggested that the green light could be given after the countries meet again at the UN General Assembly in New York this week.[4]
  • In the British press, five former defense secretaries and a former prime minister urged the UK to unilaterally provide Ukraine with authorization. However, a source told the Times of London that the UK would not 'go it alone' as US guidance systems were needed for weapons to hit their targets.[5]
  • On the ground, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that Ukrainian forces continued to make advances in Russia's Kursk region over the past day — but that Russian forces also regained a number of lost positions as well. In Ukraine, its forces regained lost positions in Kharkiv, but Russian advances continued to be reported in the Donetsk region, namely near Pokrovsk and Chasiv Yar.[6]

Sources: [1]Associated Press, [2]CNN, [3]Reuters, [4]BBC News, [5]The Times and [6]Understandingwar.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Associated Press. Putin's increase in troop numbers comes after his invasion of Ukraine dragged into its second-and-a-half year without the result he had hoped to achieve. It also comes as Ukraine's Kursk offensive exposed Russian vulnerabilities.
  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. The size of Russia's military has expanded in response to the growing size of hostile actions and threats made against Russia by the West. Not only is Russia facing Western-backed hostilities on its western borders, but there's growing instability in Russia's east.

Predictions