ST. PETERSBURG, September 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin said his recent decree to increase the size of the armed forces was driven by the need to staff units in the new military districts.

"Regional and federal authorities need to engage in close cooperation to solve a key task: to ensure that the armed forces are manned with skilled and trained people, skilled and trained personnel, including units and formations of permanent combat readiness in the new military districts," he said at a meeting on the development of the armed forces in the conditions of the special military operation.

"The recently published decree on setting the authorized strength of the armed forces was aimed to address this very goal," Putin said.

The decree will come into force on December 1, he said.

On Monday, the president signed a decree increasing the number of servicemen in the Russian Armed Forces by 180,000 servicemen to 1.5 million. According to the decree, the total authorized strength of the armed forces is set at 2,389,130 people. The previous decree, which has been in effect since December 1, 2023, set the total number at 2,209,130 people, including 1,320,000 servicemen.

In February, the president signed a decree changing the administrative setup of the Russian armed forces by reinstituting the Moscow and Leningrad military districts. On March 1, the Western Military District will be abolished, and the Northern Fleet will lose the status that effectively equated it with a military district. The DPR and LPR, as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions will became part of the Southern Military District.