Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told a meeting of the Ministry of Defense on Wednesday that the Russian armed forces should be increased to 1.5 million troops.
According to him, increased conscription is needed "to ensure the fulfillment of the task of ensuring the military security of the Russian Federation."
The current strength of the Russian army is 1.01 million, which should be increased to 1.15 million from January 1, according to a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin at the end of August.
Therefore, the number of new recruits in the army will reach about 350,000. According to Shoigu, at the same time, the 695,000 additional soldiers in the armed forces must be contract soldiers.
Shoigu said the defense ministry needed the additional troops because "NATO wants to build military capabilities near Russia's borders" and included Sweden and Finland. "There is a need to react and create an appropriate force group in the northwest of Russia," the minister explained, adding that the eastward expansion of the North Atlantic Alliance is a "threat" to Russia.
In addition, Shoigu said that new military formations should be established and existing formations should be reorganized in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions as well as coastal naval forces.
According to the minister, the age limit for conscription should be raised to 30 years, while the lower limit should be raised from 18 to 21 years. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense intends to legalize the practice of military conscription "within a day". Shoigu said this possibility should be provided "at the request of citizens."
The mobilization of 320,000 people, including "volunteers", which began in late September, has encountered some difficulties, he said: "The mobilization system itself is not fully adapted to the new economic relations.
Shoigu said that despite this, the combat capabilities of the troops have been "improved" and combat operations have been strengthened. He said that the troops "Five times the territory occupied by the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Maintenance Council before February 24 has been liberated.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he "agreed" with Shoigu's proposal on the structural reform of the armed forces. "After the collegial discussion, I asked you to report and we will discuss this issue in detail again."
