Putin orders army expansion as Zelenskyy warns Russia preparing to deploy 10,000 North Korean troops

A billboard promoting contract army service and reading "5 200 000 rubles for the first year of the contract" (about USD 61 700) is seen in western Moscow on September 14, 2026.Alexander Nemenov | Afp | Getty ImagesRussian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a further increase in the size of the country's army, boosting the number of active service members more than four-and-a-half years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.The presidential decree, which was published Monday on Russia's official legal information database, will put the size of Russia's armed forces at 2,441,630, including 1,550,500 active servicemen.The move, which raises the number of active troops by 15,500, is the fourth order of its kind this year and comes as both countries sustained heavy losses. The Kremlin did not give a reason for the decision.Analysts widely expected Russia to implement some form of mobilization after the State Duma election earlier this month, a prospect that is unpopular within Russia. Russia's ruling party, United Russia, won a record number of seats in the vote, election officials said on Sept. 25, a result that was all but predetermined in the country's tightly c...