Vladimir Putin signs decree to increase size of Russian armed forces

Order to increase personnel from 1.9 to 2.04 million comes as war in Ukraine enters seventh month

• Russia-Ukraine war: latest updates

Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to increase the size of Russia's armed forces from 1.9 million to 2.04 million, as the war in Ukraine enters its seventh month with no signs of abating.

The Russian president's decree appears to point to the country's aim to replenish its military, which has suffered heavy losses in Ukraine and failed to achieve its objective to capture the capital, Kyiv.