Balanced News: Russia’s defense minister calls for expanding military

MOSCOW — Russia on Wednesday announced an ambitious plan to beef up its military from 1 million to 1.5 million and create multiple new units, an attempt to bolster the forces that have lost momentum and many soldiers in the war in Ukraine. The Russian military currently has about 1 million soldiers, compared with China’s force of 2 million and the U.S. force of about 1.4 million. Amid the war, Russia and Ukraine both have kept a tight lid of secrecy on their military casualties.