Kremlin: Increased Number Of Troops Along With Increasing Threats To Russia And Western Attitudes

Russian military illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/The Presidential Press and Information Office)

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained that Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to increase the number of Russian Armed Forces was due to the many threats to the country and Western hostile attitudes.

"This is triggered by the many threats that exist to our country along our borders," Peskov said as reported by TASS on September 17.

"This is triggered by a very hostile situation on the Western border and instability on the eastern border," Kremlin officials told reporters.

Peskov added the situation "requires the right action."

As previously reported, President Putin on Monday ordered an additional 180,000 Russian armed forces, so the country will have 1.5 million active, second-largest soldiers in the world after China, quoted by Reuters.

According to data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a leading military think tank, the increase will see Russia surpass the United States and India in terms of its number of active combat troops and become the second after China in terms of numbers.

The move, which is the third time Putin has expanded his army ranks since sending his military to Ukraine in February 2022, comes as Russian troops move forward in eastern Ukraine in part of the 1.000 km (627 miles) frontline and try to expel Ukrainian troops from Russian Kursk territory.

Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of the Defense Committee of the Lower House of the Russian Parliament, said on Monday that part of the reason for the expansion was to establish a new military structure and unit to improve security in Russia's northwestern region after Finland's neighboring countries joined the NATO alliance.

Russia has also expressed concern about what it describes as increasing US-backed Japanese militarization and potential plans to deploy US missiles there.