26 August 2022, Friday, 21:10 4368

Russian Army Number Increase Indicates Putin's Preparation For Protracted War - New York Times

Editor: Tetiana Herasimova

Читати українською

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Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to expand the Russian army, as he expects a protracted war in Ukraine. The New York Times reports this.

Thus, the material notes that Putin's order to increase the number of the Russian army indicates preparations for a protracted war in Ukraine.

“President Vladimir V. Putin on Thursday ordered a sharp increase in the size of Russia’s armed forces, a reversal of years of efforts by the Kremlin to slim down a bloated military and the latest sign that he is bracing for a long war in Ukraine, where Russia has suffered heavy losses,” the material says.

The publication emphasizes that this is the first decree of the Russian president in five years to increase the size of the army. At the same time, Russian officials do not explain this step. It is also little mentioned in the propaganda media.

The article notes that Putin issued the decree at a time when he "appears as far as ever from his goal of bringing all or most of Ukraine back into the Russian fold."

“This is not a move that you make when you are anticipating a rapid end to your war,” said Dara Massicot, a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. “This is something you do when you are making some kind of plan for a protracted conflict.”

Also, according to the publication, there is increasing evidence that the war in Ukraine can drag on until next winter and even longer.

"Russia’s offensives in the east and south have slowed to a crawl and neither side has shown any readiness to negotiate or compromise," the New York Times noted.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on August 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to increase the number of armed forces by 137,000 troops.

According to analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, the decree signed by the leader of the aggressor country indicates that Putin intends to avoid the announcement of a general mobilization in Russia.