Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on July 27 increasing the total strength of the armed forces to 2,426,130 people, the third expansion of the military this year. The number of active servicemen rose from 1,510,000 to 1,535,000, according to the document.
Previous increases were approved in March, to 1.502 million servicemen, and in June, to 2.399 million total personnel. Before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian army numbered just over one million people.
State news agency RIA Novosti linked the latest increase to the creation of military construction units.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Sky News that Kyiv believes Russian authorities are preparing for a new wave of mobilization. “He wants to mobilize from 300 to 500 thousand people,” Zelensky said of Putin. “He wants to do this after the Duma elections on September 21 … in early October, if we do not create problems for him with logistics, weapons, fuel, and if our partners do not impose total sanctions for his aggression.”
Independent outlets Verstka and iStories previously reported, citing sources including those working with the presidential administration, that Russian authorities are discussing a new mobilization for the war against Ukraine, planned for October 2026. According to their sources, Putin has not yet made a final decision. A source overseeing recruitment at a state corporation noted that preparatory measures, “which will never be called mobilization,” have been underway in Russia “for several months.”