Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a presidential decree on Monday raising the strength of the Russian army to 1,550,000 active-duty soldiers, as the Ukrainian capital Kyiv was rocked by loud explosions and came under an air attack involving drones and missiles early on Tuesday.
Under the decree, the total strength of Russia’s armed forces will rise to 2,441,630 personnel, including 1,550,000 active-duty members. The measure adds 15,500 serving military personnel to the Russian army.
Increase in Russian armed forces strength
The new increase follows a similar measure approved in August, continuing to raise the authorised strength of Russia’s armed forces as the war in Ukraine continues and air strikes targeting Kyiv intensify. Several loud explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital early on Tuesday, as an air-raid alert was in effect and air defence systems were activated, according to Agence France-Presse correspondents in the city.
The Ukrainian Air Force warned on its Telegram channel that “new ballistic missiles are heading towards Kyiv”. Agency correspondents reported that the capital was subjected to a combined attack involving drones and missiles, while air defence systems were operating during the alert.
Kyiv has seen an escalation in Russian air strikes for weeks, with attacks targeting the Ukrainian capital at night and during the day. Tuesday’s attack followed a Russian drone strike on Monday that caused a fire inside Kyiv’s Academy of Sciences.
Initial toll from Kyiv strike
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, citing an initial toll from that strike, that one woman had been killed and six people wounded. Zelenskyy renewed his appeal last week to his country’s Western allies to increase their military aid to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president’s appeal focused on supplying his country with more US Patriot interceptor missiles, which can shoot down ballistic missiles, amid continuing air attacks on Kyiv and Ukrainian warnings that new missiles were approaching the capital’s airspace.
