Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu
Russia's defense minister Sergei Shoigu said that Moscow would "form an army corps in the Republic of Karelia".
In addition to the new army corps, Russia's president Vladimir Putin also ordered:
increase army to 1.5 million servicemen;
create two new inter-service strategic territorial associations: the Moscow and Leningrad military districts;
turn seven brigades into motorised infantry divisions;
strengthen the combat component of the Navy, the Air Force and the Strategic Rocket Forces.
The changes should be completed by the end of 2026.
According to various data, there were about 1.1 - 1.2 million military personnel in the Russian armed forces in 2022. Since the February 24 invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost more than 100,000 military personnel, according to Kiev.