The regular strength of the armed forces is now set at 1,320,000 servicemen, according to the document. Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to increase the maximum number of servicemen in the Russian armed forces by 170,000, the Kremlin and the defence ministry said. “Our servicemen are acting competently and decisively, occupying a more favourable position and expanding their zones of control in all directions,” Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday. The frontlines have barely shifted this year but fighting has remained intense. Russia said its troops were advancing in every section of the Ukrainian front, despite observers seeing little movement. In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said a meeting of the military command had discussed scenarios to produce “concrete results” for 2024 in conditions of war. Zelenskiy later said that changes were needed to improve Ukraine’s system of mobilisation as part of an overall strategy to improve the country’s military position.
The Ukrainian leader also said that “we already can see the consequences of the international community shifting because of the tragedy in the Middle East”. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the Associated Press that “winter as a whole is a new phase of war” and acknowledged that “we did not achieve the desired results” with the summer counteroffensive.
