Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered his country’s forces to increase the number of personnel by 180,000 to a total of 1.5 million, as Moscow’s military action in Ukraine continues for more than two and a half years.

The presidential decree, published on the government’s official website, will come into effect on December 1 and will mandate that the total number of Russian military personnel be around 2.4 million – including 1.5 million soldiers – with the government obliged to provide the necessary funding.

Putin said in June that the number of troops participating in the Russian war in Ukraine was around 700,000, or more than half of all active soldiers.

The decree issued on Monday comes as Ukrainian forces advance in Russia’s Kursk region.