Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Thursday increasing the size of Russia's armed forces from 1.9 to 2.04 million, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.

The figure, which includes a 137,000 increase in military personnel to 1.15 million, takes effect on January 1.

Russian Military Personnel to reach 1.15 Million - Decree

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Thursday increasing the number of military personnel by 137,000 to 1,150,628. The corresponding decree is available on the official legal information website.

"Establish the number of the armed forces of the Russian Federation in the amount of 2,039,758, including 1,150,628 military personnel," the decree read. The previous decree, dated November 17, 2017, called for a total of 1,013,628 soldiers.

With Putin stressing that NATO-allied neo-Nazis are moving closer to the Russian borders from Ukraine, the Russian President authorized a special military operation in Donbass on February 24.

"Leading NATO countries pursue their own goal by fully supporting Ukraine's extreme Nazis and neo-Nazis, who, in turn, will never forgive the people of Crimea and Sevastopol for their free choice to reunify with Russia", said the Russian President.