Putin Expands Russian Military by 15,500 Troops as Ukraine Advances Stall

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree authorizing an increase of 15,500 military personnel in the country's armed forces, marking the fourth expansion of the military this year alone. The order, signed on Sunday, comes as Moscow's battlefield progress in Ukraine has slowed considerably after more than four and a half years of conflict, according to Al Jazeera.

The decree sets the total authorized strength of the Russian armed forces at 2,441,630 personnel, which includes 1,550,500 active military service members. The Kremlin provided no explanation for why the additional troops are needed or how they will be recruited, leaving military analysts to interpret the move.

This latest expansion brings the cumulative total of new personnel added through presidential decrees to 47,860 since March. Putin had previously issued similar orders in March, June, and July, suggesting a pattern of incremental military growth rather than a single large-scale mobilization.

Andrei Kortunov, director general of the Russian International Affairs Council, characterized the expansion as largely administrative rather than strategically significant. He told Al Jazeera that adding another 15,000 personnel would not fundamentally alter the dynamics of the conflict, and noted that a diplomatic resolution remains distant.

The timing of the decree coincides with Russia facing substantial human and material losses while achieving only limited territorial gains. Ukraine's military claimed earlier this month that Russian casualties in 2026 had exceeded 300,000, with more than 20,000 losses reported in the first half of September alone. These figures could not be independently verified by Al Jazeera.

Olena Halushka, a board member at the Anti-Corruption Action Centre in Kyiv, said Russia's military campaign is not producing the results Moscow had anticipated. She pointed to Putin's demands at last year's Anchorage summit, where he insisted Ukraine withdraw from the remainder of the Donetsk region that Russia had failed to capture. Halushka noted that a year later, the battlefield situation has proven to be the opposite of what Putin had predicted.

She added that the latest decree is likely not the final one and should be understood within the broader context of Russia's ongoing efforts to expand manpower for a prolonged war. The conflict has increasingly become a war of attrition, with both sides relying heavily on drones and long-range strikes.

The widespread use of drone warfare has made large concentrations of troops and rapid movements increasingly dangerous, contributing to the sharp slowdown in Russian advances this year. The front lines have become largely static in many areas, with both sides trading aerial attacks while ground operations proceed slowly.

Ukraine has repeatedly accused Moscow of preparing another mobilization to replenish its forces, allegations that Putin has dismissed as Ukrainian disinformation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that more than 8,000 North Korean soldiers are currently stationed in Russia, with preparations underway to deploy an additional 10,000 troops. North Korea has already sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 soldiers to support Russia since 2024, according to Ukrainian and South Korean intelligence estimates.

Putin last ordered a mobilization of reservists in September 2022, following a series of significant battlefield setbacks. That mobilization proved controversial domestically and prompted hundreds of thousands of Russian men to flee the country to avoid conscription.

Alexey D. Muraviev, a professor and senior research fellow in Defense and Strategic Studies at Edith Cowan University, suggested the latest increase is unlikely to be directly tied to immediate needs in Ukraine. He explained that implementing such an expansion would require considerable time for planning, recruitment, and the formation of new units, meaning it would not address Russia's urgent operational requirements on the battlefield.

Instead, Muraviev believes Putin's decision reflects longer-term strategic considerations, including Moscow's tensions with NATO and what he described as an increased possibility of a major open conflict between Russia and the Western alliance in the foreseeable future. He noted that this concern drives Russia's continuous military reorganization, the expansion of its standing forces, and the creation of new units, including army and marine divisions.

Muraviev also pointed to Russian apprehensions about the military buildup of Japan and United States forces in the Pacific region, suggesting that Moscow feels compelled to respond to these security developments. These considerations extend beyond the immediate conflict in Ukraine and reflect Russia's broader geopolitical positioning.

Meanwhile, the war continues to inflict heavy civilian casualties. At least 10 people were killed and more than 80 wounded in Russian attacks across Ukraine on Monday. Russian drones struck the National Academy of Sciences in central Kyiv, setting the building ablaze, while attacks were also reported in Dnipro, Kharkiv, and other areas.

The exchange of major aerial attacks continues even as the ground war remains largely stalemated. Both Russia and Ukraine have increasingly turned to drone warfare and long-range strike capabilities, reflecting the evolving nature of the conflict and the challenges both sides face in achieving decisive battlefield breakthroughs.

The repeated military expansions suggest that Moscow is preparing for a protracted conflict, even as the immediate results on the battlefield remain limited. Whether the additional personnel will meaningfully change the trajectory of the war remains uncertain, but the pattern of incremental increases indicates that Russia is committed to sustaining its military campaign over the long term.