Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, increased the number of the country's army personnel by 15,500 with the signing of an order. This order sets the authorized number of personnel in the Russian Armed Forces at 2,441,630, of which 1,550,500 are military personnel. This decision comes as Putin had previously announced increases in the number of army personnel in March, June, and July.
New Mobilization of Forces and Concerns About War Casualties
Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, stated that Russia has already begun mobilizing new forces based on available information. In his video message, Zelensky said: "They [the Russians] also intend to recruit foreigners on a larger scale." These remarks come amid months of speculation about the mobilization of new forces to compensate for recent heavy casualties in the Ukraine war. Putin has not yet responded to these concerns.
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Presence of North Korean Soldiers and Global Threats
Zelensky also referred to new information about the presence of North Korean soldiers in Russia, stating that currently more than 8,000 North Korean soldiers are present on Russian soil. He added: "Preparations are underway to send a group consisting of another 10,000 soldiers." These individuals are set to undergo training and then be transferred to Russia. Zelensky stated that the costs of this cooperation, especially with the transfer of technology to North Korea, are being covered, and the production of attack drones has begun in that country.
He expressed concern, saying: "This kind of evil expands, and this is how a threat to life in one part of the world spreads to other parts of the world." Meanwhile, Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, was once again targeted by Russian attacks, with several explosions heard during the evening of Monday and the early hours of Tuesday. These attacks were carried out with drones and missiles, and an air raid alert was sounded in the city.
Global Efforts to End the War
In this situation, Pope Leo XIV has called for new efforts to conduct negotiations aimed at ending the war. On his return flight from a trip to France, he stated that leaders from Russia, Ukraine, and other countries should be asked to sit at the same table and talk to each other. However, many politicians, including Rüdiger von Fritsch, the former German ambassador to Moscow, believe that there is no basis for negotiation with Russia.
Von Fritsch emphasized that the Western coalition must maintain its cohesion and keep economic pressure on Russia at a high level. He believes that if Putin faces the risk of losing power domestically, his position may change. In this context, efforts to end the Ukraine war continue, and reports indicate that Moscow intends to raise its military spending to the highest level since the beginning of the war next year.
According to government documents, an amount equivalent to 17.1 trillion rubles (about 202 billion dollars) has been allocated for this purpose. This figure represents an increase of about 27 percent compared to the projected budget of 13.5 trillion rubles. In total, military spending is expected to reach 50 trillion rubles over the next three years.
The Russian government is also considering tax increases in 2027 to finance the budget deficit and plans to impose a new special tax on companies active in the metal and mining industries, which is expected to generate about 200 billion rubles annually.
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