In response to Moscow's military operations in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian military to expand its total number of soldiers by 137,000 to 1.15 million.
The decision published on Thursday will increase the total number of Russian military personnel to 2,038,758, including 1,150,628 soldiers.
A prior directive put the military's numbers at the beginning of 2018 at 1,902,758 and 1,013,628.
Putin's proclamation, which goes into effect on January 1, does not clarify whether the military will bolster its ranks by raising the number of conscripts, voluntary soldiers, or a combination of both.
According to the Kremlin, only volunteer contract soldiers participate in the "special military operation" in Ukraine.
Russian media and non-governmental organizations assert that Russian authorities have sought to increase the number of troops involved in the military action in Ukraine by enlisting more volunteers.
This strategy is to utilize private military contractors, and even offering amnesty in exchange for military service to some prisoners.
Additionally, regional authorities have attempted to bolster the ranks by organizing volunteer battalions for deployment in Ukraine.
All Russian men between the ages of 18 and 27 are required to serve in the military for one year, however a considerable proportion avoids conscription due to health concerns or university student exemptions.
The proportion of males who avoid the draft is especially high in Moscow and other major cities.
The Russian military conducts conscription twice a year, beginning on 1 April and 1 October. Putin authorized the enlistment of 134,500 conscripts during the most recent spring conscription earlier this year and 127,500 during the fall draft last year.
In recent years, the Kremlin has prioritized raising the proportion of volunteer contract soldiers in an effort to modernize and strengthen the army.
Prior to the 24th of February, when the Kremlin launched troops into Ukraine, the Russian military employed more than 400,000 contract soldiers, including around 147,000 in the ground forces.
The expected number of conscripts is 270,000, with officers and non-commissioned officers accounting for the remainder.
Observers in the military have remarked that if the battle in Ukraine carries on, these numbers may be insufficient to sustain operations in a country that has announced a goal of assembling a one-million-strong force.
Russia has not disclosed the number of casualties it has sustained in Ukraine since the initial weeks of the invasion, when it reported 1,351 deaths.
