Defence
Putin Orders 15,000 New Military Recruits in War with Ukraine
President Vladimir Putin has issued an order to expand the Russian armed forces by approximately 15,000 personnel, bringing the total force size to around 2.4 million people, including roughly 1.5 million active military members. This marks the fourth such scaling up of the army this year, though no official reason was provided for the measure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the move as the factual start of a larger mobilization effort, noting that Russia is increasing recruitment through various methods and plans to enlist more foreigners. Zelensky also stated he possesses information indicating that 8,000 North Korean soldiers are currently in Russia, with plans to increase that number by another 10,000. Meanwhile, concerns persist regarding potential mass mobilizations due to high casualty rates, with reports suggesting significant numbers of Russians fled to Georgia to avoid conscription.
Ozetta summarises; the reporting is the newsroom's