From Ria Novosti:  Russia’s armed forces should expand to at least a million men in order for the country’s defenses to be effective, Kremlin chief of staff Sergei Ivanov said in an interview published on Tuesday.

“Fewer [people in the army] is already dangerous for the country. With all respect to Europe – we are not Luxembourg and not Belgium,” Ivanov, a former Defense Minister, told the Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid daily.

“Russia has a different territory. Besides, we are a nuclear power,” he added.

According to State Duma data, Russia’s armed forces numbered around 800,000 people last year.  (photo: Ruslan Krivobok/Ria Novosti)

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