KIEV, March 5. /TASS/. Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (the parliament) has adopted a law on increasing the size of the Ukrainian army to 250,000 people on Thursday.

The decision was supported by 270 deputies, while the required minimum is 226.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko proposed to increase the size of the army to 250,000 people, according to a draft law registered in the Verkhovna Rada on March 2.

The law envisages increasing the size of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to 250,000 people, including 204,000 servicemen.

"The draft law has been developed for legal regulation of the size of Ukraine’s Armed Forces which will ensure the timely deployment of a particular group of forces for deterrence, resistance to armed aggression and liquidation of the armed conflict," the draft law says.

The size of the Ukrainian army at the beginning of 2014 stood at 168,000 people, including 125,000 servicemen, according to the media. At the end of 2014, the number grew to 232,000 people.

In December 2014, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said it is necessary to increase the size of the army to 250,000 people. Poltorak also said that Ukraine’s Defense Ministry plans to call up for military service up to 40,000 people and train 10,500 contract soldiers.