Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a major reinforcement of his country's military forces on Thursday in an apparent attempt to renew forces that have suffered heavy losses in six months of bloody war and prepare for a long and fierce battle in Ukraine. The move came to increase the number of troops by 137,000, or 13%, to 1.15 million by the end of the year amid horrific developments on the ground in Ukraine.

Putin's decree did not specify whether the expansion would be achieved through expanding conscription, recruiting more volunteers, or both. However, some Russian military analysts expected greater reliance on volunteers due to concerns about a potential domestic backlash from expanded conscription. This step will boost the overall Russian armed forces to 2.04 million, including 1.15 million soldiers.

On the other hand, Western estimates of Russian casualties in the Ukraine war have ranged from more than 15,000 to more than 20,000 — more than the Soviet Union lost during its 10-year war in Afghanistan. The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) last week said up to 80,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded, eroding Moscow's ability to launch major attacks.