Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Britain’s Ministry of Defense said on Sunday it was not yet clear how Russia would achieve an announced large increase in its armed forces, but the boost was unlikely to significantly increase its fighting power in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree last week to increase the size of Russia’s armed forces to 2.04 million from 1.9 million as the war in Ukraine enters its seventh month. read more The UK Ministry of Defense said in a regular war briefing that it was unclear whether this would be achieved by recruiting more volunteers or by increasing conscription. Either way, it probably wouldn’t have much impact on the war in Ukraine, given that “Russia has lost tens of thousands of troops, very few new contract soldiers are being recruited, and conscripts are not technically required to serve outside of Russian territory.” the ministry said on Twitter. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reporting by Baranjot Kaur in Bengaluru Editing by Frances Kerry Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
