Putin's 'Well-Established' Ambition To Be Derailed By 1 – Rather Obvious – Problem, UK Says
Vladimir Putin’s ambition to grow the Russian army will be “hampered” by the reality of what is happening on the frontline in Ukraine, according to UK officials.
The Russian president announced on Monday that he wanted to expand his forces and add 180,000 more personnel to the ranks, meaning he would have 1.5 million active troops.
This will be the third time he’s attempted to grow his army since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine back in February 2022 – except this time, he aspires to lead the second largest national army in the world, after China.
Right now, Russia’s army – made up of 1.32m troops – is the fourth largest, trailing behind both India and the US’s, according to Reuters.
There’s just one, rather significant, problem when it comes to this new expansion plan – Putin’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
The UK’s ministry of defence (MoD) explained in its latest update on X: “Despite the stated intent to expand its force, it is likely that this ambition will be hampered by continued heavy losses sustained in the conflict against Ukraine and recruitment challenges.”
The MoD officials noted that “Russia’s aspiration to expand its military is well-established” and Putin’s then-defence minister Sergei Shoigu called for the army to expand to 1.5 million personnel in December 2022.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 19 September 2024.
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/RT4tJNM6yA#StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/AlcLf4mV4B— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) September 19, 2024
But the war has continued to drain Russia’s resources since then.
Moscow refuses to say how many casualties it has endured from the war, but the MoD claimed earlier this month that its losses had reached 610,000 since invading Ukraine.
That far outshines the 180,000 Putin wants to add to the ranks.
Experts have also warned that further expansion of the army could come at a great cost to the Russian economy, especially when resources are already stretched and this new influx of troops are not part of an enforced mobilisation.
Researchers at the US-based Institute for the Study of War warned earlier this week that recruitment struggles and economic constraints “will continue to degrade Russia’s ability to sustain an increase in the size of its military and to soundly implement its intended reforms”.
