Putin signs decree to increase military personnel to 1.5 mln

MOSCOW, Sep. 16 (Xinhua) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a decree to increase the number of Russian armed forces to 2,389,130 units, including 1.5 million military personnel.
The new decree, published on the official website for legal information, will take effect from Dec. 1, 2024.
Currently, the number of Russian armed forces is 2,209,130 units, including 1.32 million military personnel, according to the previous decree, signed by Putin in December 2023.
Meanwhile, the defense ministry said on Monday that the Russian armed forces had liberated the settlements of Uspenovka and Borki in the Kursk Region.
Russian armed forces also repelled “five enemy counterattacks” from various directions in the region on the same day, the ministry added. ■