Russia will be expanding its army to 1.5 million men, and will create two new military Commands near Europe according to Defense Minister Shoigu.
The expansion comes on top of a Mobilization of 300,000 men done last year, and on top of additional troops which came in above those 300,000.
Russia sees itself as being "at war with the collective west" and is now taking actual, tangible, steps to prepare for that war.
New structures in the regions around Moscow, St. Petersburg and Karelia on the border with Finland will be created under the program, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told commanders Tuesday, saying the major changes will start this year and continue through 2026. In addition, he said, “self-sufficient” units will be set up on the Ukrainian territories that Russia has annexed.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the military expansion came in response to the “proxy war” he claimed the US and its allies are waging against Russia in Ukraine.
