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BOOTS ON THE GROUND

Desperate Putin Signs Major Order After Battlefield Humiliation

The Kremlin has offered no explanation for its fourth troop boost this year.

Russia is rethinking negotiations with Ukraine after Moscow got pummeled by strikes, Vladimir Putin announced in a stumbling statement to reporters. The 73-year-old Russian president appeared confused as he addressed the media in Saint Petersburg in the aftermath of Ukraine’s largest-ever drone attack on Moscow, which occurred on the last day of voting in Russia’s parliamentary elections last weekend. Putin was seemingly on edge as he spoke to reporters, at times losing his train of thought as he spoke about the strikes. “What has happened lately is also well known to everyone. On the night of Sept. 19 to 20, that is, on the main voting day, an attempt was made at a massive strike on Moscow,” he said. Last Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Defense said it shot down more than 1,900 drones, eight guided aerial bombs, eight cruise missiles, and four rockets, killing at least three people and damaging a major oil refinery in Moscow. The attack was Ukraine’s biggest one ever, though Kyiv did not confirm the number of drones and projectiles it fired. Ukrainian General Staff later said the main target was the Moscow Oil Refinery, which was forced to halt its output. “Our long-range responses had a very significant impact in the Moscow region last night,” Zelensky said in a statement on Telegram at the time. He said the facilities targeted were raking in “billions of dollars that sustain the war machine.” Putin warned Ukraine that there would be consequences. "They are the ones who started it. Everywhere, on every front. Are these playthings, child's play?" Putin told reporters. "They should therefore be made to feel Russia's retaliatory strikes and understand that no provocative actions, no stirring up the situation to secure a result will work. They're only making things worse for themselves." However, Putin maintained that all of Ukraine’s proposals remained “on the table.” "They are all on the table. It's all possible," he said. "But after everything they have done, we will still have to think carefully about what we need to do in response." “Judging by everything, the retaliatory actions of the Russian armed forces turned out to be so sensitive and destructive for the enemy that now they are once again actively raising the issue of negotiations on several fronts,” he continued. Putin also appeared to be at a loss as to why Ukraine has repeatedly targeted the warehouses of Ozon and Wildberries—massive online retailers dubbed the “Amazon of Russia” that sell goods and services equal to about 8.5% of Russia's GDP, according to Reuters. “Strikes on Wildberries or Ozon warehouses—what is that? What's the point? After that, we started responding to each instance," he said.

Anastasia Barashkova/REUTERS

By Leigh Kimmins

The Kremlin is beefing up its military yet again as Russia’s military continues to suffer devastating losses on the battlefield.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an executive order Monday that increases the Russian military by 15,500 troops, bringing the total number of active-duty servicemen to 1.55 million. The overall force now stands at 2,441,630 personnel.

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Russia published Order No. 700 on its official legal information portal. It is the fourth such decree this year, according to Russian state-owned media outlet TASS, and it instructs the government to hand over whatever federal funds the Defense Ministry needs to carry out the increase.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an executive order Monday that increases the Russian military by 15,500 troops.

Getty

Monday’s order does not explain the reason for the latest increase, but Putin has raised military personnel numbers several times since he launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The exiled news outlet Meduza reports that the military has created 52,500 new positions this year, most of them active-duty slots rather than civilian support jobs.

Kyiv has accused Russia of preparing for a new mass mobilization of troops after holding parliamentary elections last week, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed Russia has “in effect” begun the process of surging troop recruitment “through various means,” though he did not provide details.

Putin, who last ordered a “partial” mobilization of reservists in September 2022, has dismissed the mobilization claims as “disinformation.”

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The order arrives against a grim backdrop for Moscow. Euronews reports the decree comes amid rising Russian losses in Ukraine, with battlefield advances slowing this year as widespread drone use has made rapid movement of large troop units almost impossible. Euronews also notes reports of Ukrainian breakthroughs on certain sections of the front.

Zelensky also warned that Russia is leaning harder on foreign fighters. Citing new intelligence from Ukraine’s Military Intelligence, he said more than 8,000 North Korean military personnel are currently in Russia, with preparations underway to send 10,000 more.

The decree comes after Putin, speaking on Friday, denied that Moscow is preparing for war with Europe. He accused the Baltic states of violating the rights of Russian speakers, vowed that Russia would keep fighting for them, and mocked Estonia’s security concerns as “political clowning.”

President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, on September 22, 2026.

Zelensky’s forces have rallied of late.

Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images

The Kremlin has long pointed to alleged discrimination against Russian minorities to justify its pressure on neighbors, including Ukraine before the full-scale invasion was launched. Moscow has also repeatedly denied it planned to attack Ukraine, and it still refers to the war as a “special military operation,” downplaying its significance.

A March decree set the total at 2,391,770, and a June decree raised it to 2,399,130. A decree that took effect Aug. 1 put the military at 2,426,130 personnel, including 1,535,000 troops. Overall, Russia’s authorized military strength has grown by 49,860 since March, according to TASS.

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Leigh Kimmins
Leigh KimminsReporter

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