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Story summary
- President Vladimir Putin ordered a fourth military expansion this year, raising authorized strength to 2,441,630 personnel.
- The authorized force includes 1,550,500 active-duty troops.
- Putin said Russia is not preparing any military action against Europe.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russia has begun mobilising and may seek 300,000 more troops after elections.
- Russian documents show a planned £153 billion defence budget for 2027, the largest since 2022.