Sep 17, Kathmandu- Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered to increase the country's military strength by 180,000.

The number of active soldiers in Russia will now reach 1.5 million. With this, Russia will become the second country with the largest army after China. The order published on the government website will be effective from December 1. According to which, the total number of armed forces of Russia will reach 2.380 thousand.

According to data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a leading military think tank, after the order comes into effect, Russia will surpass both the US and India in active military numbers. China has more than two million active soldiers. This is the third time that Putin has given an order to increase the number of troops since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. This order came after the Ukrainian army entered and attacked the Kusk region. Last June, Putin said that about 700,000 soldiers are participating in the war with Ukraine.