ALBAWABA - On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a directive expanding the army to roughly 2.4 million, including 1.5 million active troops. This is the third order after the February 2022 Ukraine conflict.
Russia needs 180,000 troops to counter Ukrainian assaults in Kursk, thus the decree will add them. The increase comes after Western governments apparently let Ukraine to strike vital targets deep in Russian territory, sparking worries about future military escalation.
Along with the army increase, the Kremlin is tackling a fresh Kyiv provocation. Ukrainian authorities have invited UN representatives to Kursk's disputed districts. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, called this offer "pure provocation" and questioned its motive. He warned that foreign diplomats entering Russia without Kremlin approval will humiliate Moscow.
Meanwhile, Russia-US relations remain high. Peskov said that American military forces are secretly involved in the Ukrainian war. He said Western nations haven't allowed Ukraine to utilize their long-range weaponry to hit Russian targets, but that may change.
Russian nuclear agency Rosatom chairman Alexey Likhachev highlighted concerns about the Zaporizhzhia and Kursk nuclear facilities' safety. At the IAEA summit in Vienna, Likhachev criticized Ukrainian soldiers for recklessly damaging installations. He stressed that plant infrastructure and worker accommodations are damaged, violating international nuclear safety regulations.
After a recent visit to Kursk, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi warned that the situation remained perilous. Russian and international agencies are actively monitoring war zone nuclear safety risks.
