VLADIMIR Putin has ordered an increase in the size of his armed forces amid growing tensions with the West and the threat of World War 3.
The Russian leader announced via state media his military would be bolstered with an additional 100,000 service personnel.
The reinforcements bring the size of Russia’s armed forces to 1.9 million, including more than one million active troops.
The announcement comes as Russia continues to exert its influence over Eastern Europe and the prospect of a conflict on the Korean Peninsula looms over East Asia.
Thousands of NATO troops are currently deployed in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to counter the possibility of a Russian invasions.
And Kremlin forces continue to operate in Ukraine as the bloody civil war in the former Soviet state approaches its fourth year.
Mr Putin has presided over a multi-billion-dollar modernisation programme of the Russian military in recent years.
The country ranks third in the world in terms of military spending, ploughing a massive $69bn (£52.3bn) in to defence annually.
The sum puts the country behind only China and the United States, which annually spend $146bn (£111bn) and $824bn (£624bn) respectively.
The UK spends £35bn (approximately $47bn) on defence.
Mr Putin has some of the most advanced military hardware at his disposal, including more tanks than any other country and the world’s second largest airforce.
As part of its modernisation programme, the Kremlin has invested in stealth fighter jets, nuclear-powered submarines and high-tech armoured vehicles designed especially to withstand NATO anti-tank weaponry.
Russia has also carried out recent tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Military chiefs said data from the launches was being used to develop new weapons which can penetrate American anti-missile defences.
