Fact checks about countries

Putin increased army size to 2.04 million, not 5 million

Lorenz Pasion, Rappler.com

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Putin increased army size to 2.04 million, not 5 million
Of the Russian armed forces' 2.04 million personnel, only half are for combat

Claim: Russian President Vladimir Putin increased the size of Russia’s armed forces to 5 million.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube video containing the claim has over 1,400 views as of writing.

The actual number: The Russian government made no announcements it will expand Russia’s armed forces to 5 million troops.

According to reports from Reuters, ABC, Al Jazeera, and The Guardian, Putin signed a decree on August 24, 2022, to add an additional 137,000 troops to the Russian armed forces. The decree, which will take effect on January 1, 2023, will increase the total size of the Russian armed forces from 1.9 million to 2.04 million.

However, of the Russian armed forces’ 2.04 million personnel, only half are combat personnel. 

With the addition of newly-added troops from Putin’s recently signed decree, the total number of combat personnel in Russia’s armed forces will be 1.15 million. – Lorenz Pasion/Rappler.com

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author

Lorenz Pasion

Lorenz Pasion is a researcher at Rappler and a member of its fact-check team that debunks false claims that spread on social media.