Putin orders Russian military to beef up forces by 137,000

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered the Russian military to increase its number of soldiers by 137,000 to a total of 1.15 million servicemen amid Moscow’s military action in Ukraine.Putin’s decree, which takes effect on Jan. 1, didn’t specify whether the military will beef up its ranks by drafting a bigger number of conscripts, increasing the number of volunteer soldiers or using a combination of both.The presidential decree will boost the o