Moscow, September 29, 2026 — The Europe Today: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree increasing the authorized strength of the Russian Armed Forces to 2,441,630 personnel, including 1,550,500 active-duty service members.
The decree, published on Russia’s official legal information database, directs the Russian government to allocate the necessary federal budget funds to implement the measure.
The new decree also invalidates the previous presidential decree on the authorized strength of the armed forces, dated June 12, 2026.
Under a decree issued in late July and effective from August 1, the personnel ceiling of the Russian Armed Forces had been set at 2,426,130 personnel, including 1,535,000 active-duty service members.
The latest decision therefore increases the authorized strength by 15,500 personnel.
Putin had previously increased the authorized strength of the Russian Armed Forces in March. Overall, the personnel ceiling has risen by 49,860 people between March and September 2026.
