This move will effectively result in Russia surpassing the US and becoming the country with the second-largest standing army in the world.
According to public data, the ranking of countries by active military personnel will look as follows:
1.
China, 2.035 million2.
Russia, 1.5 m3.
India, 1.455 m4.
US, 1.328 m5.
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, 1.32 mIn the first half of 2024, according to the data provided by Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, about 190,000 citizens signed contracts with the Defense Ministry.
Western Threats
The West is now discussing lifting the ban on the Ukraine's use of Western long-range weapons for strikes deep inside Russia. The issue was supposed to be discussed at a meeting between US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but in the end there were no announcements on the subject.
Putin, commenting on these discussions, noted that NATO is discussing not just the possibility of the Ukrainain army using Western long-range weapons, but its direct participation in the conflict.
If the West takes such a step, it will significantly change the essence of the Ukrainian conflict and will mean that NATO members - the US, European countries - are at war with Russia and the latter will make decisions based on the threats it faces, the president concluded.