By decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the staffing level of the Russian Armed Forces has been increased by 170,000 people.

According to the decree published on the Kremlin website on December 1, the staffing level of the Russian Armed Forces will be 2,209,130 units, including 1.3 million military personnel.

The Russian Ministry of Defense explains the increase in the number of armed forces by 170,000 people by the increase in threats to the Russian Federation “related to the conduct of a special military operation and the ongoing expansion of NATO.”