Russia’s decision to expand its military was taken due to the current hostile environment, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
On Monday, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to boost the number of personnel in the armed forces to almost 2.4 million, including 1.5 million service members.
The move was motivated “by the number of threats that exist for our country alongside our borders,” Peskov explained on Tuesday.
The environment is “extremely hostile” for Russia in the West and “unstable” in the East, a situation that “requires appropriate measures,” he added.
Russia’s previous increase in army strength came last December, when its numbers were boosted to just over 2.2 million, including 1.3 million troops.
Moscow has complained for decades over the expansion of NATO in Europe, viewing it as a threat to national security. Russian officials have cited the intention of bringing Ukraine into the ranks of the US-led military bloc as a primary cause of the current conflict.
The Kremlin views the hostilities as a proxy war waged by the West, and has accused the US and its allies of intentionally escalating it. The US intends to fight “to the last Ukrainian” as long as it can damage Russia, Moscow believes.