The Kremlin announced of expanding its army to become the second largest in the world as threats coming from the West are on a rise.
President Vladimir Putin is reported to have signed a presidential decree ordering to increase the regular size of Russian armed force to 1.5 million active soldiers.
A military think tank named The International Institute for Strategic Studies pointed that this boost will allow the country’s army to surpass both India and America.
Thus, it would be then ranked as the world’s second largest military, right behind China.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov for the Kremlin said, “This is due to the number of threats that exist to our country along the perimeter of our borders.”
“It is caused by the extremely hostile environment on our western borders and instability on our eastern borders. This demands appropriate measures to be taken,” he added.
The expansion report comes amid news of “sizeable losses made by the Kremlin’s forces” as it invaded Ukraine.
Western intelligence sources have estimated that Russia lost almost 200,000 troops since February 2022 with around 400,000 injured, as cited by The Wall Street Journal.
