Putin Signs Decree Expanding Russian Armed Forces to 2.4 Million Personnel
On July 27, 2026, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed Decree 526, raising the authorized strength of the Russian Armed Forces to 2,426,130 personnel, including 1,535,000 uniformed troops, effective August 1. This marks the third such increase in 2026, following decrees in March and June. Unlike previous expansions, this increase is explicitly tied to the creation of new military construction units, signaling a focus on rebuilding infrastructure rather than direct combat roles. The move aligns with a broader effort by the Russian Defense Ministry to revive its construction arm, including the establishment of a new Military Engineering-Technical University. The decree continues a trend of upward revisions to force ceilings since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, reflecting Moscow's intent to expand its military footprint and support rear-echelon capabilities.
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Reports are grouped by semantic similarity and deterministic rules. Language models may assist titles, summaries, translation and cross-source analysis; the page itself is projected from evidence records.
- Current automated evidence projection