Putin Expands Russian Military Amid War of Attrition
Vladimir Putin increased the authorized strength of the Russian Armed Forces to over 2.4 million personnel as Russia pursues a long-term war of attrition in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has shifted Russia's strategy in Ukraine from seeking a negotiated settlement to a long-term war of attrition. Following the collapse of the 2022 Istanbul Communiqué, Moscow pivoted to exhausting Ukrainian manpower and Western supplies, scaling its defense industry to produce millions of artillery and rocket rounds annually—an output that currently exceeds the combined capacity of NATO and the European Union.
On September 28, 2026, Putin signed a decree increasing the authorized strength of the Russian Armed Forces by 15,500 troops, raising the total personnel count to 2,441,630. This marks the fourth such increase since March 2026. While the Kremlin dismissed reports of a new mobilization as "disinformation" and "utter nonsense," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia is actively recruiting and expanding its use of North Korean troops, claiming over 8,000 such personnel are already in Russia.
These military expansions coincide with intensified hostilities. Russia recently launched jet-powered drone strikes across Ukraine, killing at least nine people, including two at the National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv. Simultaneously, Ukraine conducted a massive drone raid targeting Moscow and other regions during Russia's parliamentary elections from September 18-20. Putin declared that the elections, in which the United Russia party won 355 of 450 seats, proved the Russian people cannot be intimidated or defeated.
