Putin's decree on increasing number of Russian army is likely of formal nature - ISW

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s December 1 decree is likely a formal recognition of the Russian military’s current end strength and not an order to immediately increase the number of Russian military personnel.

This is said in a report by the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrinform reports.

According to the report, Putin signed a decree on December 1 increasing the official end strength of the Russian military from 2.039 million personnel to 2.209 million personnel and total Russian combat personnel from 1.15 million to 1.32 million.

In September 2022, the Russian government announced in September 2022 that the Russian military would mobilize 300,000 personnel under Putin’s partial mobilization decree. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated on November 29 that Russian forces have suffered over 300,000 casualties (killed and wounded personnel) in Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

ISW experts believe that ongoing widespread crypto-mobilization efforts, partial mobilization, the number of Russian personnel concluding military service, and Russian casualties in Ukraine plausibly account for a net 170,000-combat personnel increase between August 25, 2022, and December 1, 2023.

Thus, according to the experts, Putin’s December 1, 2023 decree is likely establishing 2.209 million personnel as the new official end strength rather than ordering a significant new increase in the total size of the Russian military.

As reported, from February 24, 2022 to December 4, 2023, the Defense Forces of Ukraine eliminated about 332,810 Russian invaders, including 770 occupiers in the past day alone.

Photo is illustrative