Russia to expand size of military to 1.5 million troops, defense minister says - Fox News

Russia elaborate plans Tuesday to expand its military to 1.5 cardinal unit implicit the adjacent fewer years, a determination that comes arsenic Ukraine warns that Moscow whitethorn beryllium readying an violative and accrued tensions betwixt Moscow and the United States and its allies. 

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the unit increase, which is expected to beryllium implicit by 2026, according to Russian authorities quality agency, TASS. 

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Russian self-propelled artillery vehicles, tanks and subject vehicles rotation on Tverskaya thoroughfare toward Red Square during a rehearsal for the Victory Day subject parade successful Moscow. The Kremlin plans to grow its equipped forces to 1.5 cardinal troops by 2026, officials said Tuesday. 

Russia volition besides make subject districts successful Moscow and St. Petersburg, and an service corps volition beryllium created successful the Republic of Karelia on Russia’s borderline with Finland, The Wall Street Journal reported. In addition, Moscow volition acceptable up "self-sufficient" units successful Russian-held territories of Ukraine, Shoigu said.

"Only by strengthening the cardinal structural components of the Armed Forces is it imaginable to warrant the subject information of the authorities and support caller entities and captious facilities of the Russian Federation," Shoigu said, according to Reuters.

The announcement comes arsenic Moscow faces setbacks connected the battlefield successful neighboring Ukraine. Since its 2022 invasion, Russia has been bogged down successful Ukraine's eastbound contempt immoderate territorial gains. 

A convoy of pro-Russian troops moves on a roadworthy successful Mariupol, Ukraine, connected Thursday, April 21. (Reuters/Chingis Kondarov)

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Russia's subject has astir 1 cardinal troops. 

The Kremlin antecedently considered the size of its equipped forces arsenic sufficient, but that changed aft hopes for a speedy triumph implicit its neighbour were shattered by a fierce Ukrainian resistance.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.