Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to expand the number of active-duty troops by 180,000 to a total of 1.5 million. It’s the third increase in troop size since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. With the decree, it’s likely Putin will have to either expand the draft or change Russian law to allow more women into the military. This comes just days after Putin warned the U.S. and its NATO allies against allowing Ukraine to use Western arms to strike deeper inside Russia.

President Vladimir Putin: “If this decision is made, it will mean nothing less than the direct participation of NATO countries, the United States and European countries in the war in Ukraine. This is their direct participation. And this, of course, significantly changes the very essence, the very nature of the conflict.”

On Friday, President Biden shrugged off Putin’s threat, telling reporters, “I don’t think much about Vladimir Putin.”